The Unmatched Swordsman Of Fairy Tail
by amaijin
Summary: A young sword wielding mage joins Fairy Tail and quickly becomes known for his strength and kindness. His blade will protect his loved ones and strike down his enemies.
1. The Swordsman Joins The Guild

Chapter 1

The Kingdom of Fiore is a kingdom filled with magic. Magic is used in everyday life and there are those who use magic to earn a living. These people are called wizards. All throughout Fiore there are several guilds that exist that wizards congregate to and join in order to take jobs. In the town of Magnolia, there is a particularly famous guild and its name is…Fairy Tail!

Walking on the path towards this guild was a young man who looked to be about 16 years old. He wore a black long coat that had one white diamond on the back and white diamonds going around the lower part of the coat. Underneath that he wore a dark green shirt and green pants that were tucked into black combat boots. His dusty blonde hair that fell around his head was rustled by the wind, allowing a clear glimpse of his grey eyes. He smiled for a moment when he reached the guild, taking a deep breath before he pushed the door open.

"This is certainly interesting." The man remarked as he watched two kids butting heads in the center of the guild while everyone else was just watching.

"Why hello there, young man. Can I help you?" A short, blading old man wearing a white t-shirt that had the Fairy Tail symbol on it asked.

"I'm actually looking for the guild master. I've heard a lot about Fairy Tail and would actually like to join it." The young man replied.

"Well look no further. I'm Makarov Dreyar, the guild master of Fairy Tail." The now named Makarov said.

"It's nice to meet you Master Makarov. I'm Leo. Leo Titus." Leo responded to the introduction with his own.

"Well then Leo, it's always nice to have someone new join the guild. How old are you and what kind of magic do you use?" Makarov asked.

"I'm sixteen and I use requip magic to swap between different types of magic swords. I've also been working on a few other spells for offensive and defensive use." Leo answered.

"You're actually only a year younger than my grandson. Now where would you like your guild mark?" Makarov asked.

"Can I have it in black on my right forearm?" Leo responded.

Makarov nodded and pressed a stamp to Leo's exposed forearm. When the stamp was lifted, a black Fairy Tail guild mark was left on Leo's forearm. Leo moved his arm around, studying the mark closely before smiling.

"If you wouldn't mind, would you indulge me by having a spar with my grandson? You seem well experienced with your magic and well-travelled given the way you carry yourself. It would also allow me to get a good understanding of your strength to allow me to know what kind of quests I should advise you against taking." Makarov asked.

"Sure, it would be nice to stretch my muscles and get to know someone else in this guild." Leo replied.

"Laxus, come over here!" Makarov shouted.

A blond-haired young man walked towards them. He had spiky hair and was wearing a pair of magic headphones. He wore a long sleeve dark yellow shirt with cargo pants. He had a lightning shaped scar going across his right eye. He eyed Leo critically and scoffed before turning to Makarov.

"What do you want old man? I was just about to leave for a quest." Laxus questioned.

"This here is Leo, a new member of our guild. I'd like you to have a spar with him just so I can have a gauge of what his abilities are." Makarov answered.

"It's nice to meet you Laxus. I hope we can get along as fellow guild members." Leo said with a smile.

"Whatever. You want me to spar with some weak newbie fine. Let's make this quick so I can get going for my quest." Laxus responded, turning and walking towards the back door of the guild.

By now the rest of the guild had quietened down and observed the exchange between the three. Leo gestured for Makarov to lead the way. Makarov followed behind Laxus, leading Leo out the back door to an open space that was behind the guild hall. The spar had drawn the attention of the other guild members who were now gathered around to observe the spar.

"Alright, this is a simple spar for me to gauge Leo's abilities. Please limit yourselves to lower level attacks." Makarov said, explaining the rules of the spar.

"Don't worry, I'll make this quick and as painless for you as possible." Laxus said arrogantly.

"Let's have a good battle, then shall we? Awaken, Benihime." Leo said, summoning a sleek medium sized sword into his right hand. The handle of the sword was bent forward at the end and had a crimson tassel dangling from its base. There was a U-shaped guard around the base of the blade and had a slanted razor-like edge for the tip. The blade was colored black and had a silver edge.

"Oh, so a requip mage huh. Let's see how you handle this!" Laxus shouted as he sent a bolt of lightning straight at Leo.

The bolt hit and most of the guild members thought that the spar had ended with that hit. As the dust obscuring their vision cleared, many were surprised to see Leo standing there unharmed. His sword was raised in front of him, creating a barrier of crimson energy to protect him from the attack.

"That was a close one. If I didn't create this barrier in time I would have really been done for. Since you've so kindly started the battle with that attack, how about I return the favor? Shred, Benihime." Leo said with a calm smile.

Leo flicked his wrist and multiple tiny projectiles made up of the same crimson energy as the barrier were launched from it. Laxus growled and launched his lightning to counter the attack but was surprised as there seemed to be no end to the projectiles being launched. Laxus opted to cut off his attack and roll out of the way of the projectiles. Leo deactivated his barrier and smiled jovially at Laxus who glared angrily in response.

"I'm going to wipe that damned smile off your face!" Laxus said angrily before rushing towards Leo using his lightning body. He appeared behind Leo preparing to deck him with a fist coated in lightning. Before the attack could connect though, Leo brought his word behind him and with a small flick, produced an arc of crimson energy that countered Laxus' attack and forced him back.

"I think that's quite enough for a demonstration spar don't you think Master?" Leo asked as he lowered his sword. Makarov was about to respond but was cut-off by a fuming Laxus.

"You think you can look down on me! Try this one on for size!" Laxus shouted, sending an extremely large bolt of lightning at Leo.

"That's insane! If that thing hits, the new kid could really get screwed." Macao, one of the older members in Fairy Tail remarked. Makarov was about to intervene but was surprised when Leo seemed unfazed by the oncoming attack.

"Scream, Benihime." Leo muttered before swinging his sword. A large stream of crimson energy erupted from the blade, cancelling the lightning out. As the dust from the clash of the two attacks cleared, the onlookers were surprised to see Leo behind Laxus. Leo had his sword close to Laxus' throat, the blond mage's eyes wide with fear and shock.

"That was a really close one. I'm sure you did that because you had full confidence in my ability to counter it right Laxus? You wanted to give everyone a good show and make sure Master knew I could take care of myself. Thanks for letting me stretch my legs. We should spar again someday. It's nice to know that Fairy Tail has strong people my age to make sure that the guild has a future and to watch over it." Leo said with a smile before letting his sword disappear and walking back towards the guild.

'What was that pressure? Just who is this guy?' Laxus thought to himself as he fell to his knees. For a brief moment he thought he was about to die and he felt like an ant beneath the foot of a giant. Makarov was about to chide his grandson about the way he behaved during the spar but was interrupted by Leo.

"Hey master, I heard Fairy Tail has a mean welcome party? Do I get one?" Leo asked innocently.

"Right. Everyone let's party and welcome our newest family member, Leo Titus!" Makarov responded, getting the guild to cheer and rush back into the guild hall where absolute pandemonium broke out. Leo sat himself by the bar, taking a sip of water and enjoying the chaos within the guild.

"Hello there, my name is Erza Scarlet." A young girl with crimson hair, wearing armor with a sword attached to her hip said as she approached Leo.

"Nice to meet you Erza. Is that common?" Leo replied while gesturing to a black-haired boy in boxers butting heads against a pink haired boy.

"It happens fairly often. I should probably try to stop them but they will just end up going at it again when I'm not looking." Erza responded.

"I say you should let them be. It's amusing. Besides they aren't really out to hurt each other. Do you know what magic they use?" Leo asked.

"Natsu uses a lost magic called fire dragon slayer magic. He was supposedly taught by the fire dragon king Igneel. Gray is an ice mage." Erza answered.

"That probably explains why they can't get along. Opposing types and all that. So, what kind of magic do you use Erza?" Leo said, motioning for her to sit down next to him.

"I use requip magic. You use requip too right? And the way you fought Laxus was really impressive." Erza responded.

"It's nice to meet another requip mage. And I'm glad to hear that I impressed you. I had a really good teacher before I came to the guild." Leo replied.

"Do you think he would be interested in training me as well? You seem really strong and I want to get strong as well." Erza asked.

"My teacher passed away due to his old age unfortunately." Leo responded.

"Oh, I'm sorry I asked." Erza said.

"Don't worry. He lived a full life and died happy. That's something not many people have the opportunity to do. Especially not wizards. But tell me Erza, why do you want to become strong? What is strength to you?" Leo asked.

"I want the ability to protect the people I care about. This guild is like a family to me. I want to be able to protect it and make sure it stays the way it is. I don't care if I'm the weakest person in all Earthland as long as I can protect my family then that's all the power I need." Erza responded resolutely.

"A fine answer. I have no doubt that you will become an amazing wizard someday. Say, how about a deal. I'll train you and teach you everything my teacher taught me and in exchange you help me get settled into life as a wizard of Fairy Tail." Leo offered.

"I would like that very much. We could form a team." Erza added.

"Well then, here's to the start of a wonderful time together, teammate!" Leo said happily, extending his hand for a shake. Erza smiled and took it.

"We should go on a job to celebrate and that way I can explain to you how things work too!" Era said, taking Leo's hand and leading him towards the request board. As they walked towards it, Erza started explain what it meant to be a guild wizard. Makarov watched the exchange with a smile, happy that the newest member of his family was able to fit in.

* * *

"That was certainly an interesting mission." Leo remarked with a smile as he and Erza were walking towards the guild.

"Your definition of interesting scares me. That monster seemed a little too keen on kidnapping me as his bride." Erza muttered.

"Ah, I think most Vulcans think that way. On the bright side, you were good bait for drawing the monsters out so we could deal with them quickly." Leo countered.

Erza growled and smacked him in the back of his head, sending him face first into the floor. It had been six months since Leo had joined Fairy Tail. He and Erza had formed a team and the pair had gone on many missions since then. In between and even during missions, Leo would give Erza lessons in both sword fighting, requip magic and general combat tactics. Erza was surprised at how much information one could gleam from an opponent or monster by simply being observant. If she had to name any downside it would be Leo's inappropriate sense of humor even when in combat.

"I think I received more damage from you than I did from all the Vulcans combined." Leo muttered.

Erza hmphed and turned away, ignoring her his words but couldn't help but let out a small smile. No matter how bad a situation seemed, Leo could always be counted on to brighten everyone's day or make someone laugh. She also had to admit that the stupidity of the Vulcans was pretty hilarious in retrospect. But she wouldn't give her teammate such satisfaction and stomped off towards the guild.

"Hey there master! We finished another quest!" Leo said happily as he greeted Makarov at the bar.

"That was quick. Congratulations on finishing that quest ahead of time. You two are working really well together and doing well on quests. Anything interesting happen?" Makarov asked.

"Aside from Erza being a little bitter about being used as bait, there was nothing else interesting. Did anything new with the guild?" Leo responded. The pair had been away from the guild for a month and Leo had noticed three newcomers when he entered the guild.

"We have three new members of the guild. They're siblings. The oldest one is named Mirajane. The boy is Elfman and the youngest is Lisanna. The oldest one is a take over mage and had a run in with a demon and it seems her magic acted up causing her to absorb it." Makarov answered.

"A take over mage huh, first time I've seen one in person. Must be strong to be able to take over a demon at a young age." Leo remarked. Erza perked up at hearing this and decided to approach the eldest Strauss sibling who was covered in a hooded travelling cloak.

"Hey there. I heard you just joined the guild and that you are really strong. My name is Erza." Erza said introducing herself. Mirajane ignored her and walked away from the redhead.

"What is her problem?" Erza asked as she walked towards Leo.

"I think she's just had a tough time with people and needs some space before she can open up. Give her time. Say, how about we go train? I spotted about 10 different openings when you were fighting the Vulcans that need correcting." Leo responded.

"That bad huh? I can see why you still don't want to spar with me during training. I have a long way to go before I can think about even standing against you." Erza muttered dejectedly.

"It's fine Erza, you have time. And acknowledging your weaknesses is the first step to getting strong. Now let's get going, we can get a few hours in before dinner." Leo said leading the way to a clearing outside Magnolia that they used to train. As they were walking, Leo suddenly stopped and turned around.

"Is something wrong Leo?" Erza asked.

"I just remembered that I needed to talk to Makarov about something. Why don't you keep going and start with your warm-ups first? I'll be back really soon." Leo replied before running back towards the guild. However, he didn't actually go to the guild but rather waited at the path leading out of Magnolia.

"Where are you heading off to?" Leo asked as he saw Mirajane walk along the path. Mirajane kept silent and kept walking. Leo stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder.

"You know running away isn't going to solve anything. In fact, all its going to do is make your siblings cry because they think that you are abandoning them. It must have been hard to be all alone. But you weren't alone. You had your brother and sister. If you think that all you've been doing is been a burden then you don't really understand what it means to have a family. Your brother and sister probably think the world of you and I'm sure that no matter what you become or how you look they will always love you and stay by your side." Leo said.

Mirajane threw his hand off and was about to turn and berate him but was surprised when instead of seeing Leo, she saw her brother and sister running towards her. On the top of a nearby building, Leo watched with a smile as Elfman and Lisanna showed Mirajane their own individual takeovers. He watched Mirajane hug her siblings and come to the realization of what a foolish mistake she was about to make. Leo turned and started jumping on the rooftop, heading for the clearing where Erza was.

* * *

"Bye, come back soon!" Lisanna said with a wave to Natsu.

"Where are you going?" Mirajane asked.

It had been two months since Mirajane had nearly abandoned her siblings at the guild and since then the eldest Strauss had opened up in a very unique way. She was dressed in a dark purple tank top and skirt. She had leggings that went all the way up to her thighs and black flats for footwear. While she was open with the guild, she had somehow started a rivalry with Erza and the two were constantly bickering and arguing with each other whenever they met.

"I got my first real magic job!" Natsu responded, showing off a quest flyer.

"Did you even bothered to read the whole flyer first?" Mirajane questioned.

"Yeah. It says, please get rid of this thingy…that's somewhere…doing something to someone…for 50,000 jewels." Natsu said while struggling to read the flyer.

"It doesn't say that!" Lisanna exclaimed.

"Lay off okay." Natsu responded.

"Are you telling me that you're so stupid that all you were able to read from that flyer was the reward?" Mirajane taunted.

"Be nice Mira." Lisanna said.

"I can read! Igneel thought me how to read and write when I was little. It's just that nothing on this stupid flyer makes any sense to me." Natsu said.

"It's okay Natsu." Lisanna consoled.

"I know the names of all kinds of different foods. Hamburger, spaghetti, rice balls, cake and cookies, stew and soup, and I know…man this sucks I swear I know more than just food names. Igneel thought me to read lots of stuff" Natsu said as he began to tear up.

"You're so cute. Please don't cry." Mirajane teased.

"Don't be creepy. Hands off." Lisanna chided.

"I'm not crying." Natsu countered.

"All of you need to calm down. There's no reason for you to be embarrassed. I'm sure Igneel did his best. But learning to read and write can be hard because there are an awful lot of words. You just have to be patient and study hard. And I can teach you if you'd like." Erza offered.

"No way! Sorry but you're way too scary!" Natsu said, refusing the offer.

"I cannot imagine what is so scary about a vocabulary lesson." Erza said as she dragged Natsu on the floor by his hair.

"Please help me!" Natsu pleaded while everyone else in the guild was laughing at his misfortune.

"I'm sure you'll do great." Lisanna cheered.

"Well there goes my teammate for the near future. Guess I should go on some quest to pass the time." Leo said, watching the scene with a smile. He walked up to the request board and picked something that would take him between 3 to 5 days to complete since Erza said she was going to teach Natsu in 3 days.

"Hey Master, I'll be taking this quest." Leo said before walking out the guild. As he was walking towards the train station, he turned and saw Mirajane walking towards him.

"Is something wrong? Did Master ask you to come get me? Did Erza beat Natsu up because she couldn't teach him or something?" Leo asked.

"As much as watching ginger fail at teaching the little pyro, no nothing was wrong. I just wanted to ask you back then when you stopped me, I heard you say you were going to train Erza. But then you stopped me long enough for Lisanna and Elfman to come. If you hadn't been there, they probably wouldn't be able to find me. Was that on purpose? It seems highly suspect for a coincidence." Mirajane responded.

"I couldn't let you make a decision that you were going to regret and end up hurting the people you care about." Leo admitted.

"Thanks." Mirajane muttered shyly.

"Say since, you're already out here, do you want to join me on the quest? I could use the company. I can give you some tips on fighting too!" Leo suggested.

"No thanks. I don't want to go around with a guy who uses the same magic as that armor-wearing hussy." Mirajane said before storming off.

"I will never understand how a woman thinks." Leo muttered before shrugging and continue to walk towards the train station.

* * *

**X779**

"How are you so strong? Why can't I even hit you?" Erza growled as she and Leo sparred. Leo was easily dancing around her strikes while using a cane to smack her every time she left an opening.

"The reason is because there's something holding you back Erza. Even though you don't hesitate, your strikes show a fear within you." Leo said.

"A fear?" Erza asked as she panted in exhaustion.

"I won't pry into what happened in your past. I know there's a reason why you like to wear armor even outside of combat but that doesn't solve anything. It's just burying away the pain and hiding away from the problem. If you want to excel as a swordsman and a mage, you must steel your resolve and discard your fear. When you attack, you will strike your foe. When you dodge, you won't get hit. When you defend, you will not let what you are protecting get hurt. So long as you cannot achieve that level of resolve, your fighting capability will never be what it can be. If you let your past hold you back then you will never achieve your full potential." Leo answered.

"But how can I do that? How can I move on from my past?" Erza asked, admitting that she didn't how to overcome the ghosts of the past.

"Talking about it with someone helps." Leo responded.

"But I can't. He said that if I spoke to anyone about it then he would kill everyone I knew!" Erza said.

A translucent barrier went around their training area and Leo sat down beneath a nearby tree. He motioned for her to join him by patting the spot next to him.

"There now no one can hear us within this space. So why don't you tell me exactly what happened? We've been partners for a year now Erza. I do hope that you'd be willing to trust me." Leo said as Erza sat down next to him.

It was now the year X779. Leo had been a member of the guild for over a year. The pair had continued to remain as a team together, with Leo training Erza whenever they were not away doing missions. He had also taken the time to help other members of the guild such as the younger Strauss siblings and Natsu with his magic. He also kept offering to train Mirajane but she kept refusing saying that she didn't want to work with or get help from anyone associated so closely with Erza. That was another confusing front as she would sometimes be shy and meek around him when Erza wasn't around. A single mention of Erza or having her around though would set Mirajane off. He honestly thought they were worse than Natsu and Gray at times.

Another change that happened was that Laxus had become an S-Class wizard of Fairy Tail, being the youngest member to do so. While Leo was happy for the lightning mage, he couldn't help but scowl at how arrogant it made the young man. Laxus was rude and condescending to everyone before. Making S-Class seemed to have amplified it tenfold. He seemed to also have a bone to pick with Leo as he kept trying to goad Leo into a fight. Leo however, refused to oblige and would simply smile and say that Laxus was an S-Class mage and should behave in a way befitting his status and focus on doing harder missions to increase the guild's prestige rather than pick petty fights.

"It happened when I was a young kid. I was once a resident of a small village named Rosemary…" Erza began as she started sharing her past. She told Leo how she had been forced to work on the tower of heaven after being kidnapped by Zeref cultists. She shared how she made friends with the other prisoners like Jellal, Simon, Milliana, Sho and Wally. She tried not to shed tears as she recounted how Old man Rob had sacrificed himself to save her. Leo gave her a silent show of support by holding her hand in his and squeezing it comfortingly. She told him how she used her newly discovered magic to lead an escape. Then she shared how she had been betrayed by Jellal who had become twisted and exiled her from the tower, threatening her with the lives of the people she cared about.

"That is honestly…I don't think I have any words that can make it better. But it seems that eventually your past will come back for you. I doubt Jellal would just let you go like that without wanting something in return." Leo said.

"So, what should I do?" Erza asked. She felt a lot better now that she had shared her story with someone. It felt like a burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Train, get stronger so that when the time comes you will be ready to save everyone you care about." Leo responded.

"Can you teach me how to strengthen my resolve?" Erza asked.

"I can guide you. But resolve is something that you need to strengthen on your own." Leo admitted. Erza nodded and got up, marking the end of the conversation and the resumption of her training, a newfound determination blazing in her eyes.

* * *

**X779 S Class Trials**

"Why?! Why can't I defeat you? I'm an S-Class wizard! Yet everyone in the guild listens to you! They respect you even though you just joined a year ago! Why can't they treat me the same way? Everyone thinks I'm just the guild master's grandson! Why?" Laxus growled as he struck the ground several times.

It was the annual S-Class trials for Fairy Tail and Leo had been nominated for it. He had run into Laxus for the first portion of his trial and the two had just finished their battle with Leo as the victor. Laxus was currently on the ground panting as he had exhausted his magic reserves. His body was also littered with tiny cuts. Leo was a little singed and had a few bruises but was otherwise mostly fine. All around the cave where the pair had fought, tiny pink petal like objects were floating around.

"You are strong Laxus. For our age group, I doubt there's anyone aside from me that even stands a real chance against you. And you're wrong about people thinking that you're nothing but Master's grandson. Every time I talk to the guild members, they always talk about you fondly. Not the you now but the old you." Leo responded.

"But they speak to you. They respect you! They look up to you!" Laxus countered.

"Have you looked in a mirror? Why would anyone approach you as you are now? Yes, you are an S-Class mage of the guild. Yes, you have a lot of power. But what does that achieve? The way you act flaunting your power only makes people fear and resent you. Fairy Tail is about being a family. Those bonds will keep you strong no matter how tall the wall. But you need to make the effort to nurture it." Leo said.

"Will that really make a difference?" Laxus asked.

"Why don't you give it a try? Be around the guild, smile more and talk to people. Don't just keep going away on missions all the time and confining yourself to the second floor." Leo answered. Leo grabbed Laxus by the arm and placed it over his shoulder, helping the exhausted wizard towards the exit of the tunnel.

"Alright, I'll give these bonds you praise so much a try." Laxus muttered.

"That's all I ask." Leo said with a smile.

* * *

**X780**

"Congratulations Erza!" Leo said after Makarov announced the results S-Class trials for the year.

It was currently the year X780, two years since Leo had joined Fairy Tail. He had been made an S-Class mage after completing the trials last year. This year, Erza had managed to qualify for and complete the trials, becoming the youngest mage ever to do so. Leo was now almost a constant at the guild, giving advice and spending time with all the younger members of the guild. Laxus had changed greatly as well. While he was still a little stuck-up especially when it came to power, he took the time to stick around more and interact with the other members of Fairy Tail.

"I couldn't have done it without you!" Erza responded, thanking Leo for all the help he had given in training her.

"I just helped you along that's all. It was all you. We should go on an S-Class quest of your choice together to commemorate the occasion!" Leo suggested.

"Alright, I'll go up to and pick a quest!" Erza said, agreeing and rushing up the stairs to the S-Class lounge.

"Come find me near Master Makarov once you've chosen a quest!" Leo shouted to her as she entered the S-Class lounge.

"Going off on a quest so soon?" Makarov asked.

"What do you expect from the guy who is as bad as Natsu when it comes to sitting still." Laxus remarked.

"Give a break will you. It's been two weeks since the S-Class trial and I haven't done anything except sit around here." Leo whined.

"You could always spar with me if you get bored when I'm around." Laxus suggested.

"Yeah, and get trashed by Master after for all the damage we would cause? I'll pass on that until we find a way to limit the damage we cause." Leo retorted.

Ever since that battle, Laxus and he had become rivals. It was more of Leo had become Laxus' rival. Laxus would constantly challenge Leo to a spar to see how he had progressed. Of course, it was still all in Leo's favor with the record being 5-0. But each time Laxus had forced Leo to either use a different sword or release the full power of his sword. Makarov had recently banned them for sparring more often than once every three months since their last one had nearly given him a heart attack from how much property damage they caused.

"Say that again! I dare you!" Erza challenged as she was butting heads with Mirajane.

"You heard me! It was just a fluke that you made S-Class. If it wasn't for all the training and tips that your teammate gave you, you probably won't even be an S-Class." Mirajane mocked.

"At least I'm willing to acknowledge my weaknesses and accept help to become stronger unlike someone here." Erza countered.

"That just shows how strong I am." Mirajane retorted.

"Strong? More like stubborn like a mule. You could be getting much stronger if you accepted Leo's help. Your siblings are taking his advice and growing stronger much faster than you are." Erza responded.

Mirajane seemed to pull back at hearing that. It was true. Lisanna and Elfman had both grown by leaps and bounds since they joined the guild. The time they could spend in their takeovers was getting longer and even though Elfman couldn't perform a full takeover yet, he could transform both his arms and legs. Mirajane on the other hand had only been gradually getting stronger and a majority of that could be attributed to her getting older. She was still one of the strongest of the younger generation but her growth rate wasn't as high as the rest. Heck even Natsu was getting stronger after he started taking to heart Leo's advice.

"I think you two have had enough fun. Let's go on that quest you picked out Erza." Leo said, breaking up the pair.

"Ah right. We need to slay a group of monsters that are terrorizing a small village in the north of Fiore. I'll get my stuff together and meet you at the station." Erza said before running off.

"Erza's right you know. You don't have to do everything alone. My offer for training and advice still stands. No one is an island after all. I hope you realize that someday before something forces you to." Leo said to Mirajane before walking out the doors.

"Like I'd ever want help from someone who works with an armor wearing ginger hussy." Mirajane huffed before heading for the request board to look for a job.

* * *

**X781**

"Magnolia will now be undergoing the Gildarts shift. Residents, please move to your designated areas." Came a blaring announcement across the whole town.

"Oh, Gildarts is back. I thought he would be gone longer. He did decide to take two decade quests in a row this time." Makarov remarked.

"Hey master, why is the whole town moving?" Leo asked.

"You haven't met Gildarts before since he left right before you joined. He's Fairy Tail's ace. He takes decade quests on a regular basis. The guy's a monster." Laxus answered.

"Yes, although his awareness could use some development. The town shifts in order to give him a straight path to the guild. Before this was implemented, he used to destroy houses by accident when he walked through them." Makarov added.

"That doesn't seem like something to boast about…" Leo muttered.

He could tell that Makarov was extremely proud of Gildarts' abilities, but being so proud of enough property destruction to cause a town to reconstruct and move for a person seemed a little much in his opinion. Leo watched as an orange haired man walked into the guild. He wore a travelling cloak covering a good majority of his body and had a bag slung over his shoulder.

"Gildarts! Welcome back. How did the two quests go?" Makarov asked.

"It went great. There's quite a few new faces around here." Gildarts responded.

"Indeed. Our family has grown. Young Erza made S-Class last year. This is one of the wizards that joined just after you left. His name is Leo Titus and he's an S-Class wizard. He passed the trials last year." Makarov said, introducing Gildarts to Leo.

"It's nice to meet the ace of Fairy Tail." Leo said, extending his hand for a shake.

"Nice firm grip. You must be that new mage I've been hearing a lot about on my travels. Rumor is you're really strong." Gildarts said.

"I'm sure whatever you've heard is exaggerated." Leo said while rubbing the back of his head. He excused himself and went to talk to Erza.

"What kind of magic does he use Master?" Gildarts asked, observing how Leo carried himself.

"He uses requip magic just like Erza." Makarov answered.

"That's interesting. Does he change armors like she does or just weapons? I doubt someone who just changes weapons could make S-Class so quickly." Gildarts remarked.

"He uses magic swords. His swords grant him different capabilities and fighting styles." Laxus added.

"Magic swords? That's interesting. What kind?" Gildarts asked.

"I've only fought against three of them. He has one that lets him use some crimson energy in any shape he wants. He's used it as a barrier, projectiles and energy waves. He has one that lets him use Ice magic. Then the strongest one I've seen so far is a blade that splits into tiny petals." Laxus answered.

"Tiny petals? What do they do?" Gildarts asked with a raised brow, now even more curious about the Leo's abilities.

"The petals are actually tiny blades that he can control to move fluidly. He can also shape them in any way he likes. What's more all his swords have a second form or second release as he likes to call it. His power increases massively and as far as I know the swords abilities are improved from its initial state." Laxus responded.

"Such as?" Gildarts prodded.

"I've only seen one of them. For the sword that splits into tiny petals, he drops in into the ground and summons more blades to create even more petals. It's overwhelming to fight against." Laxus admitted.

"Interesting. Say Master, do you mind if me and the new kid have a spar? I'm curious now. He seems really strong and I want to see what he's really made of." Gildarts asked.

"I had a feeling that you would ask that when you returned and met him. I will agree but the two of you will be sealed within a barrier to limit the level of destruction and he has to agree to it." Makarov replied.

"Awesome. I'm going to go ask him now." Gildarts said and walked over to Leo.

"Hey Gildarts. Can I help you with something?" Leo asked when he saw the older wizard walking over to his table. Erza was currently in her own world eating strawberry cake.

"I wanted to ask you if you were willing to have a spar with me. You're the fastest guild member to make it to S-Class since joining. That's pretty impressive. I just want to get a feel for your power. Nice to know that there's someone I can trust to look after the guild while I'm gone." Gildarts said.

"I admit I was curious about seeing what kind of magic you use since Master described how much destruction you cause without realizing." Leo remarked.

"So, spar?" Gildarts asked.

"Spar." Leo responded.

"Alright. Master get that field set-up for us!" Gildarts shouted to Makarov who muttered about annoying brats with too much energy.

Gildarts and Leo followed behind Makarov to the clearing behind the guild hall. The two wizards stood opposite to each other as Makarov formed a barrier around them. By now the rest of the guild had taken notice and were excited to watch the impending spar between Gildarts and Leo. Makarov gestured for the pair to start and there was a tens silence before Leo raised his hand.

"Awaken, Benihime." Leo muttered as he summoned the blade into his hand.

"So that's one of your swords." Gildarts remarked.

"You took the time to find out information about me. I'm impressed." Leo admitted, fully expecting Gildarts to be a more mellow version of Natsu.

"Knowing is half the battle after all." Gildarts said.

"Agreed. Scream, Benihime!" Leo said before he swung his blade, releasing an arc of crimson energy straight at Gildarts. He clicked his teeth in annoyance when Gildarts raised his fist and met his attack head on, destroying it with his magic.

"My turn!" Gildarts said as he charged straight at Leo. Leo was surprised at the older Wizard's speed. He raised his sword, creating a shield of crimson energy to protect himself. Leo's eyes widened as cracks started appearing in the barrier.

"Shred, Benihime!" Leo shouted, flicking his wrist and sending tiny projectiles of crimson energy at Gildarts, forcing him to roll out of the way. As Gildarts recovered, Leo sent more projectiles at him. Gildarts raised his hand and the projectiles were destroyed before they got near enough to do any damage.

"So, your magic let's you destroy the opponent's magic attacks and you use it offensively and defensively. That's troublesome." Leo muttered.

"Your quick on the uptake. That's the ability of my crash magic." Gildarts admitted.

"I'm going to have to step this up if I want to stand a chance against you. Scatter, Senbonzakura." Leo said, swapping out his current sword for one that looked like a simple katana but had a guard resembling a window frame and a light purple handle.

The blade split into multiple pink petals that Leo directed towards Gildarts with the handle that remained in his hand. Gildarts smirked and raised his right arm overhead towards the oncoming petals. A wave of white energy erupted from his hand, disrupting the petals. Leo smirked as the petals split into smaller bunches before rushing at Gildarts from all directions. Gildarts spread his arms to the side and released a pulse of crash magic, dissipating the attack. Leo cursed as his blade reformed.

"Second release, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi." Leo muttered as he pointed his blade to the ground and let go of it. The sword passed through the ground as though it was water. Two rows of gigantic blades rose from the ground, surprising Gildarts who was smirking and tense in anticipation. The blades glowed pink before splitting up into a multitude of petals.

"So, this is what Laxus was talking about when he said your second releases are bigger and more powerful versions of your swords' base abilities." Gildarts said as he leapt back from a large bunch of petals that were chasing after him. Gildarts was now on the defensive, dodging and using his crash magic in order to prevent the attacks by the petals from hitting him. It didn't take long before he realized that he was completely surrounded by petals.

"Looks like this is my win old man." Leo said with a smile as Gildarts was trapped in a ball of pink petals.

"Sorry kid, but I can't lose face in front of the rest of the guild you are strong. I have no doubt that you will surpass me. But not today." Gildarts said as released a great deal of magic, scattering the petals away. His magic was visible as a white pillar of light. Leo fell to one knee as he felt the immense magic pressure bear down on him.

"I refuse to lose!" Leo shouted without thinking before the petals disappeared and he requipped a wooden cane. His own magic output started rising. Gildarts was shocked when it started nearing his own. However, before it could match his though, Leo stored the cane away and dropped to one knee.

"I concede." Leo said after realizing what he was about to do. A surprised Gildarts let his magic recede.

"You lost on purpose. Your magic was rising. It was already close to mine and you didn't even look winded. That cane, it was a sword wasn't it? Why did you give up?" Gildarts asked.

"I refuse to use such power against a friend. My power is a sword meant for protecting my comrades and striking down those who would threaten those I care about. Using such power in a spar is uncalled for. I apologize." Leo responded as he started walking away once Makarov let the barrier dissipate.

"That kid. He was something else." Gildarts said as the other guild members walked back into the guild hall, discussing the results of the battle and commenting on how despite how close Leo had come, Gildarts still won as expected.

"So, what do you think Gildarts?" Makarov asked as he approached.

"Kid's strong. I don't think I'm your ace anymore. That kid is stronger than I am." Gildarts admitted.

"Are you serious Gildarts? His magic power was rising but you still had more power than him." Makarov remarked.

"Think carefully about how his power was rising and then how it just fell before he conceded. Whatever that blade was inside that cane, it's something else. And the fact that he refuses to use it against an ally goes to show just how strong it is." Gildarts said.

"That's interesting. Now that you mention it, that portion was odd." Makarov admitted after thinking about it.

"Yeah well, it doesn't matter. I can rest easier now knowing that Fairy Tail has someone that strong and that kind to watch over it. Speaking of which, I also noticed three white haired kids in the guild. They new too?" Gildarts asked as he and Makarov started walking back into the guild.

"Those three are the Strauss siblings. The eldest is Mirajane, the male is Elfman and the youngest is Lisanna. The three of them use takeover magic. The youngest seems really smitten with Natsu. They even hatched an egg that he found in the forest together." Makarov answered.

"Oh really? Little Natsu? That's cute. What hatched?" Gildarts asked.

"I don't really know how by a blue cat that can use magic to fly hatched from the egg. They named him Happy. Talking about those two, once they ran into a Vulcan and Natsu tried to fight it." Makarov said.

"A Vulcan? At that age?" Gildarts questioned.

"It was more on accident he was wondering in the forest. Thankfully Leo intervened and chased the Vulcan away before it could do any real damage to either of them. That brat has been a real godsend. The entire guild feels brighter with him around. Even Laxus has changed a great deal." Makarov replied.

"That's good to hear. How about the other two siblings?" Gildarts asked.

"Elfman is still new to his magic but Leo's managed to help him learn how to transform his arm and legs. Mirajane uses takeover to transform into demons. She also has some sort of rivalry with Erza and they behave just like Natsu and Gray do in each other's presence." Makarov answered.

"That's nice to hear. The guild's really grown." Gildarts remarked with a content smile.

* * *

"Hey Cana, can I talk to you for a second?" Leo asked, motioning to a table in the corner.

"What's going on?" Cana asked as she sat opposite to Leo. Leo had discreetly set up a barrier to muffle their conversation.

"Is there something going on between you and Gildarts?" Leo asked, responding to her question with his own and getting straight to the point.

"There's nothing going on. What would make you say that?" Cana countered looking away from Leo.

"Look, it's not really my place to pry but I could see that there was a lot you wanted to say to Gildarts. Gildarts isn't the most intellectual person. Heck if it's not anything related to fighting, I doubt he would realize it unless it hit him right in the head. And I just met the guy." Leo said with a chuckle.

"But if there's one thing I know, it's that often the things we hold in and don't say that hurts more. Don't let doubt become regret. Even though Gildarts is strong, for wizards tomorrow isn't a guarantee. What ever it is that's going on between the two of you, I don't really have the right to pry and force you to tell me. I'm just suggesting that you should tell him while you still have the chance to." Leo advised before walking over to the table where Erza was seated, leaving Cana to ponder her thoughts.

* * *

"Hey master, I'm leaving." Gildarts said to Makarov.

Gildarts had his pack slung over his shoulder and a quest flyer in his hand. It had been about two weeks since Gildarts had returned and he was now about to head out on the road again. Gildarts had spent much of the time just resting and staying around the guild hall. He also spent some time with Natsu and a good deal of time speaking with Leo both in private and at the guild.

"Which quest are you taking this time?" Makarov asked.

"I thought I would give the century quest a try." Gildarts answered.

"Take care old man. Make sure you stay in one piece and come back to the guild." Leo said.

"Sure. Just make sure to look after the guild for me." Gildarts responded before walking out the door. He was surprised when he heard someone chasing after him as he was walking out of Magnolia.

"You're Cana, right? What's the matter?" Gildarts asked.

"The reason I came to the guild was to search for my father, you know." Cana responded shyly.

"That's the first time I've heard that actually. Your dad was a member of Fairy Tail?" Gildarts asked, trying to think of any older members of the guild that Cana might be referring to.

"My father…it's you Gildarts." Cana admitted.

"What? Wait whose daughter are you?" Gildarts asked before listing of a whole bunch of names.

"You perverted old man! Just how many flings have you had?" Cana questioned in annoyance.

"I can't believe someone like you is my dad. But anyway, now you know. Bye." Cana said before walking away.

"Wait!" Gildarts shouted.

"That's all I wanted to say. I'm not saying we need to be a family or anything, got it. I'm fine with things staying the way they are." Cana said before being surprised when Gildarts hugged her.

"You are Cornelia's child. There's no mistaking it." Gildarts said softly.

"Let go of me." Cana said.

"Why did you keep quiet all this time?" Gildarts asked.

"I couldn't bring myself to tell you and time just flew by." Cana responded.

"Cornelia was the only woman I loved. The only one I married. She left me after always getting frustrated from me always being away on jobs 16 years ago. I heard that she passed away. But to think she left a child…" Gildarts muttered.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was you." Gildarts said, pleading for forgiveness for not realizing sooner. Cana freed herself from his hug before speaking.

"It's fine. I purposefully hid it from you. Sorry for being selfish and only deciding to tell you now when you're about to leave again. But I realize that I needed to tell you. I feel like a great weight has been lifted off my chest." Cana said.

"I had a daughter this close to me…" Gildarts muttered.

"Don't be like that. I'm not saying that you should be taking responsibility or anything. Let's just stay as we are. But I always wanted to say that I'm glad to have met you father." Cana said.

"Cana, please give me the chance to love you. I want to make up for all the years that I've missed out." Gildarts said, pulling Cana in for another hug. Cana let some tears fall from her eyes as she let the warmth from the hug surround her.

"Let's head back to the guild. I want to get to know my daughter." Gildarts said, pulling Cana back towards the guild.

"But what about your quest?" Cana asked.

"A quest can wait. I've realized something since I lost Cornelia. There are somethings in this world that you would be willing to change who you are for. Besides, that quest has been around for over a century. I'm sure a couple weeks won't make a difference." Gildarts responded before shooting off into a bunch of questions about Cana such as her likes and dislikes. Cana replied them all with a smile, happy that all her fears were gone and unwarranted.

* * *

**X782**

"Big sister Mira!" Lisanna shouted as she transformed back to normal from her bird takeover and landed in front of her older sister.

"Lisanna." An injured Mirajane said as she sat on the ground clutching her left arm in pain.

"I've evacuated everyone in town but what happened?" Lisanna asked as she surveyed the destroyed landscape around her.

Mirajane had just made S-Class at the trials near the end of last year. She had decided to take her first S-Class quest together with her siblings. The quest was to kill a monster called The Beast. They had created a plan to trap the monster using explosives in rocks but that had failed as the monster was far smarter than they had expected. Lisanna had then gone to warn and evacuate the townspeople after the monster had started a stampede that was heading towards the town. This left Mirajane and Elfman to deal with the monster.

"Run, Lisanna! I was careless. In order to protect me, Elfman tried a take over spell on The Beast." Mirajane said.

"Are you saying…" Lisanna began, fearing that the worst possible scenario in a take over had happened.

"However, it's magical power was too great. Elfman has lost his grip on reality." Mirajane added, confirming Lisanna's fears.

"No way! What will happen to big brother Elfman?" Lisanna asked.

"If he doesn't come to his senses soon then he will be consumed by The Beast." Mirajane answered as Lisanna helped her up. Hearing this, Lisanna let go of Mirajane and walked towards the transformed Elfman.

"Lisanna what are you trying to do?" Mirajane questioned.

"Big brother Elf, what's the matter? It's me, Lisanna, your little sister. Have you forgotten big sister Mira as well? You couldn't have forgotten about us right big brother? Because both Lisanna and big sister Mira love you. Come on, let's go home big brother" Lisanna said, raising her arms to the side.

The beast was swung its arm towards her. Mirajane screamed in horror, eyes wide with fear as the arm was about to contact Lisanna. Lisanna prepared herself for the pain, yet kept smiling, hoping for her brother to return to his senses.

"Six rod light prison!" Leo's voice rang throughout the air before six pillars of light slammed into the Elfman, stopping the arm right before it could contact Lisanna. They then watched as Leo slammed into Elfman, sending the creature toppling back into the ground.

"Leo? What are you doing here? And why do you have wings of ice?" Mirajane questioned, although internally she was extremely grateful that he had arrived and saved Lisanna.

Mirajane was shocked by his appearance. Leo was surrounded by wings made of ice. His right hand holding a sleek Katana that had an eight-pointed guard was surrounded by ice in the shape of a dragon's head. His left arm and legs were covered by ice shaped like talons.

"Master told me you guys decided to take the quest to kill The Beast. I got worried. This is the second release of my ice sword Hyorinmaru. It's called Daiguren Hyorinmaru." Leo answered.

"That thing isn't The Beast. It's Elfman! You have to stop him and make him burn through his magic before he loses himself to the transformation. It was all my fault. I was too weak and he tried to protect me by performing a full takeover. Please! You have to save him!" Mirajane pleaded.

"I will. Don't worry." Leo responded as he watched Elfman struggle against its bindings.

"Ethereal binding chain!" Leo said as he raised his left hand at Elfman. A magic circle formed in front of his left hand before shooting out a chain of light that wrapped around Elfman, further trapping him.

"These binds will sap away his energy." Leo explained. He stabbed his sword into the ground, causing several ice pillars to rise up and surround Elfman. He then pointed his sword at Elfman before speaking.

"This should drain whatever energy you have left. Come back to your senses Elfman. Ice Prison!" Leo said before turning his sword counter-clockwise 90 degrees. The ice pillars surrounding Elfman closed in on it, trapping him inside. Lisanna and Mirajane held their breaths before the ice prison was released, revealing a shivering Elfman on the ground.

"Big brother Elf!" Lisanna shouted in joy as she went to hug her shivering older brother.

"Lisanna? What happened?" Elfman asked in confusion. The last thing he remembered was trying to take over The Beast to prevent it from crushing his big sister.

"Are you going to be okay?" Leo asked, helping Mirajane up after he let Hyorinmaru's second release dissipate and returned the sword to his requip space.

"I'm so weak. Even though I'm supposed to be S-Class but if it wasn't for you, Lisanna might have died and Elfman might have been lost to the beast. I'm a failure. I don't deserve that title." Mirajane responded.

"It's good to admit that you have weaknesses. It's how you work on them to become stronger. How about you take a break from quests for a while? My offer to train you still stands. Then when you feel that you are ready, you can try again, and I'll be there to support you." Leo said.

"Thank you, Leo." Mirajane said, finally accepting his offer to help her become stronger.

* * *

**X783**

"We're back!" Leo greeted as he and Erza returned from their S-Class quest.

"Welcome back. How was your quest? Any difficulties?" Mirajane asked as she greeted the pair.

Much had changed in the one year since the incident with the Beast. It was currently the year X783. Mirajane had mellowed out greatly since the incident. She no longer fought constantly with Erza. Her style had also changed as she no longer wore her goth style, instead preferring to wear long dresses. She had also taken a break from active duty and chose to work the bar at Fairy Tail together with her sister Lisanna. In the initial months following that incident, she had been unable to access her magic. Leo had attributed it to the trauma and self-blame as a result of the incident. Within six months though, she was able to regain her use of her magic and was now stronger than she was before thanks to Leo's help.

"It went well. Those criminals got what they deserved and the town was successfully freed." Erza responded cheerfully, requipping out of her armor and into her white blouse.

"Congratulations! Here is a slice of strawberry cake for all your efforts." Mirajane said, handing Erza a plate with a slice of cake. The red-haired mage grabbed the plate and rushed towards an empty seat, quickly enjoying her favorite treat.

"What about you? How did you think the quest went?" Mirajane asked, walking with him towards the bar.

"I thought it went fine. Would have been nice to have caused a little less property damage but thankfully it only caused us to lose a quarter of the reward." Leo replied, taking a seat at the bar and gratefully accepting the drink Mirajane served him.

"I would love to hear what happened." Mirajane said.

"Basically, Erza started going ballistic when they started threatening the kids in the village. Nearly destroyed the town square. But I don't blame her. It's one of the things I respect most about Erza." Leo explained.

"Is that the only thing you like about your partner?" Mirajane implied smoothly.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Leo countered.

"Its just that there's this sense of tension now between the two of you. Could it be that you see each other differently now? Oh my, from teacher and student to partners to lovers." Mirajane said, rubbing her cheeks with a smile.

"You have a very vivid imagination. Please don't corrupt Erza with it." Leo muttered with a blank look.

"Oh my, are you implying something about me? I'm such an innocent person." Mirajane countered.

"Innocent my ass. You've been quite touchy feely after training sessions and keep sharing weird fantasies with me…" Leo retorted. Mirajane looked away with a blush as she was called out on her own game of teasing.

"I'm going to head home to rest. Let me know if you want to have another training session later by finding me at my place." Leo said before walking out of the guild. Mirajane looked over to Erza and saw that she had already finished her cake.

"Hey Erza, do you mind following me for a moment? Mirajane asked. Erza agreed and followed her up to the S-Class lounge which was currently empty since Laxus, Mystogan and Gildarts were away on quests and Leo was at home.

"What did you want to talk about Mira?" Erza asked, taking a seat at one of the tables. Mirajane stood opposite to her, leaning against the railing.

"Answer me honestly, do you have feelings for Leo?" Mirajane responded with a question of her own.

"I don't know. I've always looked to him. He's been my teammate and trainer for the past 5 years since he joined the guild. But somewhere along the lines, I think my feelings for him have changed. I feel like I want to have something more than friendship. I mean he definitely is attractive. But more than that, he is an amazing person. He is smart, caring and funny." Erza admitted honestly.

"I see. So, I wasn't imagining things then. Would you be willing to share Leo if I told you I felt the same way?" Mirajane said. Erza's eyes widened in shock at hearing this.

"I understand if you don't want to. I'll stay away from Leo if that's the case. I want him to be happy. He's done so much for me despite all the insults I've thrown at him and you in the past. He's known you for longer and I think he would be happy if you confessed to him your feelings and started a relationship." Mirajane added.

"I don't know what to say or feel. Part of me resents you for feeling the same way. That same part of me is worried that you will steal him away from me. But hearing you willing to give up your own happiness for Leo's sake tells me that you really care about him. I am willing to give sharing him a try. If he agrees to it of course." Erza responded.

"I'm happy that you agree. Now let's go find him and tell him how we feel." Mirajane said with a warm smile, dragging Erza out of the guild towards Leo's house. She knocked on the door a few times and waited for Leo to open it.

"Mira? Erza? Is something wrong?" Leo asked after opening the door to find both girls outside his house.

"Can we come in? We just wanted to talk." Mirajane said.

"Of course. Come in and make yourselves at home." Leo responded, moving aside and motioning for them to enter before closing the door behind them.

Leo lived in a decently sized two-story house nearer the edge of Magnolia that had four bedrooms. One was on the first floor with the kitchen and living room while the other three were on the second floor. He walked towards the two women and was just about to ask what they wanted before his eyes widened in shock when both women kissed his cheeks. Erza kissed his right one while Mirajane kissed his left one. Leo sputtered as his mind blanked out.

"I think we finally figured how to break him Erza." Mirajane said with a giggle.

"Interesting to see that Leo has such a poor reaction to affection." Erza added. The two led him to the couch, sitting him down in the center before sitting on either side of him.

"What is going on?" Leo sputtered as his mind finally started working again.

"Me and Erza had a talk while you were gone and we both found out that we had feelings about you." Mirajane answered.

"We came to an agreement as to how to approach the problem and we agreed that we would give the relationship a try, including sharing you." Erza added.

"That's… Wow. I feel like this is some sort of dream. Now that I think about it, this is basically every guy's dream fantasy you know. To have beautiful women fighting over him." Leo joked.

"We're being serious here Leo." Erza said.

"But I think we also understand if you don't want to start a relationship and feel that this is too sudden." Mirajane added.

"I will admit that knowing you both like me and want to try sharing is a shock. But to be honest, I've come to realize that you two are the most important people to me in the guild. And if you both are willing to give this relationship a try, then I am too." Leo said, wrapping one arm around each of their shoulders and bringing them close to him. Both Erza and Mirajane enjoyed the warmth of being close to him.

"Do you think we could just stay like this for a while?" Erza asked.

"Yeah. This is nice." Mirajane added. Leo simply hummed his agreement.

**I should really stop getting random ideas in my head. This started because I recently got back into watching Fairy Tail's final season. Love watching the combat scenes get animated out. This involves my OC, Leo Titus (Couldn't think of any other name at the time I wrote this). My OC is based on Kisuke Urahara and Shunsui Kyoraku but not really the same as well. As you can see he uses Zanpaktou and can use kido and bakudo as well. There are some plot points that I want to ask input for though:**

**Should I do the seven year time skip? (I have plans for either but I wanted to know whether or not people like the idea of a seven year time skip. I never really understood the full need for it except to get some of the other characters older)**

**This also marks the end of the second long break I have taken from Fanfiction. Hopefully there won't be too many of those in the future but life tends to be unpredictable in that sense. I actually have another idea I'm thinking of doing in the Fairy Tail Verse involving an OC based around King Arthur type legend borrowing elements from Fate and DxD for Excalibur. It will be an OCxIrene pairing if it does happen! And in other news, I have started planning out a partial rewrite for Into a New World so that it aligns better with cannon RWBY as well as working on how to get back into writing Missing Son! Till next update! **


	2. The Arrival Of The Celestial Spirit Mage

Chapter 2

"We made it back alive!" Natsu shouted as he kicked open the doors of the guild.

"So, I heard you went all out in Hargeon Natsu. You had to go start trouble…" One of the members said before Natsu kicked him, sending him crashing into a bunch of tables.

"Well there goes the peace and quiet." Leo remarked from his seat at the bar. Mirajane was seated next to him, her head leaning against his shoulder as an empty drink with two straws was between them. One of Leo's hands was casually playing with a lock of her white hair.

"It was fun while it lasted." Mirajane added.

"I'm gonna head off on that quest now. Do you want to join me?" Leo asked.

"I think I'll pass on that for now. We need at least one S-Class mage to stay behind since Master is gone for the guild master meeting." Mirajane responded.

"Oh, right that again. Thanks for stepping up Mira. Sorry to leave you with the boring work." Leo said.

"It's fine. Now go for that quest and come back quickly. Maybe when you get back Erza will be here too and we can spend some time together." Mirajane said.

It had been one year since the Mirajane and Erza had confessed their feelings to Leo. Since then Leo had taken the time to develop his relationship with both women, spending time with them both separately and together. Mirajane had also recovered well from the trauma and resumed taking on missions but only with Erza or Leo. Mirajane had also started doing modelling work for magazines since they paid well. There were even a few issues that had Mirajane and Erza in them which were done to tease Leo.

"Love you. I'll be back soon." Leo said before placing a kiss on Mirajane's lips and walking out the guild hall, smiling at Lucy who was more concerned about Natsu's actions than anything else before he left.

"Why would you do that?" Lucy questioned Natsu, wondering why he would kick another guild member like that.

"You lied about that Salamander! I'm going to kick your butt!" Natsu said.

"Don't blame me. I was just passing along a rumor I heard." The guild member countered.

"It was just a rumor?" Natsu questioned.

"You want to fight?" The guild member challenged.

"Let's go!" Natsu responded before decking the guild member across the room and starting a guild wide brawl.

"Now, now Natsu, I think you need to calm down." Happy said before a guild member was thrown at him and he was sent flying across the room.

"Oh wow, I'm actually standing inside the Fairy Tail guild hall!" Lucy remarked even as chaos erupted all around her.

"So, Natsu finally made it back huh." Gray said, standing in only his boxers, Lucy screaming in horror at the sight.

"Gray, your clothes. This is why I don't date the men here. They don't have class." Cana remarked before picking up a barrel and drinking from it.

"Come here and fight me Natsu!" Gray demanded.

"Not until you put on some clothes." Natsu responded.

"It's only noon and you boys are already whining like babies. I'm a real man. You want me to prove it to you?" Elfman questioned. Both Natsu and Gray punched Elfman together, sending him into the other end of the hall and knocking him out.

"Oh geez, It's so noisy around here." Loki, an orange haired mage remarked. He had two women seated on his lap. A flying mug hit Loki in the head, causing him to fall off the bench.

"Are you alright?" One of the women he was with asked.

"I'm going to go fight. Only to protect you two." Loki responded.

"Good luck Loki." Both women cheered.

"He is definitely off my list. What the heck is wrong with these people? There is not one sane person in the whole place." Lucy remarked.

"Hello there. Are you new here?" Lisanna asked as she walked up to Lucy.

"Don't you think we should try and stop them?" Lucy responded, referring to the fighting going on.

"It's fine. They always do this. And Natsu is always causing trouble and starting fights. Best to leave them to get it out of their system. I'm Lisanna by the way." Lisanna responded.

"Who are you talking to Lisanna?" Mirajane asked as she noticed her sister talking to Lucy.

"Oh, big sister Mira. I think she was the one that came together with Natsu. I thought you were spending time with Leo?" Lisanna remarked.

"I was. But he decided to leave for a quest and I told Master I would be okay with watching over the guild when he told us about having to attend the guild master meeting." Mirajane responded.

"It's Mirajane in the flesh!" Lucy shouted.

"Be careful there." Mirajane said before smacking Elfman's body away before it could hit either of them. She wasn't able to prevent Gray from bumping into Lucy though.

"Give me back my underwear jerk!" Gray said as he stared at Natsu who was twirling Gray's boxers in his hand.

"Excuse me miss, could I borrow your underwear?" Gray asked Lucy after realizing his state of undress. He was promptly smacked away by Mirajane.

"Please avoid traumatizing people." Mirajane remarked as she did so.

"It's so loud. So much for having a drink to relax. That's enough you guys. I suggest that you knock it off." Cana said while raising one of her cards.

"Oh yeah? Says who?" Gray challenged, bringing his hands together. Elfman raised his arm and it became incased in stone.

"You're causing such a nuisance." Loki remarked as he twisted his ring.

"I'm ready for you!" Natsu said as his hands were engulfed in flames.

"Do they always fight like this?" Lucy asked.

"This surprisingly more common than you would think." Lisanna remarked.

"Will you fools stop bickering like children!" A giant Makarov shouted, causing everyone in the guild to stop.

"He's huge!" Lucy remarked.

"Oh, Master, I didn't think that you were still here." Mirajane said.

"Did you say Master?" Lucy questioned.

"Man, talk about a bunch of babies. Looks like I won this round!" Natsu said before Makarov brought his foot down and squished the pink haired mage.

"Well, it seems we have a new recruit. It's nice to meet you!" Makarov said as he shrunk back down to normal.

"He's tiny. Is he really in charge here?" Lucy asked.

"He is. Allow to introduce the Fairy Tail guild master, Makarov." Lisanna replied. Makarov spun and hit his head against the railing of the second floor, recovering quickly before getting everyone's attention.

"You brats have gone and done it again! This is the amount of paperwork I have to deal with from the council this time! This is the biggest pile of complaints yet! All you brats ever seem to be able to do is get them angry at me!" Makarov said, holding a large stack of papers.

"But you know what? Who cares about them!" Makarov added, lighting the stack of papers on fire before throwing the flames at Natsu who ate them.

"Now listen up! Any power that surpasses reason still comes from reason, right? Magic isn't some kind of miraculous power. It is a talent that only works when you put your heart into it. If we keep worrying about following rules then our magic will never progress. Follow the path you believe in and don't be afraid of those old farts in the council. Because that's what makes the Fairy Tail guild number 1!" Makarov said, causing the guild to erupt in cheers.

"There! Now you are an official member of Fairy Tail." Lisanna said as she lifted the guild mark stamp from Lucy's hand. The guild was far quieter now with everyone settling down after the brawl and speech. Lucy swooned and walked over to Natsu to show him her new guild mark.

"How come my dad hasn't come back yet?" A small dark blue haired boy asked Makarov.

"You are starting to get on my nerves Romeo. You are a wizard's son. Have patience and wait for him." Makarov advised.

"But he told me that he would be back in three days. He's been gone for over a week now!" Romeo said.

"If I remember correctly, he took the job on Mt. Hakobe." Makarov remarked.

"That's right and it's not that far from here. So why won't somebody go look for him?" Romeo pleaded.

"Don't worry Romeo. I'll make sure that your dad comes back." Natsu said, grabbing his pack and patting Romeo on the head.

"That Natsu. All he is going to do is hurt Macao's pride." Nab remarked.

"It's okay Nab. Natsu is free to act as he pleases." Makarov said.

"What's gotten into Natsu?" Lucy asked.

"I think Natsu sees a lot of himself in Romeo. He feels that family is very important especially because his father, Igneel left him without a trace. That's why he doesn't want Romeo to experience such a thing." Lisanna responded. Lucy thought for a moment before chasing after Natsu.

"It looks like she will fit right into Fairy Tail." Mirajane remarked with a smile as she watched Lucy leave.

* * *

"We have bad news guys! Erza's back! She's on her way here!" Loki shouted as he entered the guild hall.

"Erza Scarlet? I've seen some of the pictures she's done for Sorcerer Weekly. She's really pretty. She and you have done shoots together right Mira?" Lucy asked.

"Oh those. It was my idea to do it to tease Leo. She agreed to go along with it. It was amusing dragging him along for those and watching him squirm." Mirajane responded.

"What's going on with everyone?" Lucy asked as she heard everyone start muttering around her and getting really worried.

"She is one of the strongest female wizards in Fairy Tail." Lisanna replied. The sound of heavy footsteps cut through the silence in the guild hall.

"Those are definitely her footsteps." Macao said.

"She sounds like a demon or something." Lucy remarked. Erza entered carrying a giant monster horn. She set it down inside the guild and walked up to Mirajane.

"Hey Mira, I'm back. Is Master Makarov around?" Erza asked.

"Welcome back Erza. Unfortunately, Master Makarov is away for the guild master conference. I'm currently standing in for him." Mirajane answered.

"I see." Erza responded.

"So, what's that humongous thing over there?" One guild member asked pointing to the horn.

"It's the horn of a monster I defeated. The locals were so thankful they decorated it and gave it to me as a souvenir. Do you have a problem with it?" Erza responded.

"No not at all." The guild member replied.

"I've heard a lot of things while I was on the road. Vejeter, take the dancing outside. Wakaba, stop with that habit it's bad for you. Cana, cut back on the alcohol. Nab, pick a job already. Macao…Honestly you people…I won't say much since I just returned but please do control yourselves and spare a thought for Master who keeps covering for us when we cause trouble." Erza said.

"It's like she's taking over. Is she some kind of disciplinarian?" Lucy asked.

"That's Erza. She likes to try and make sure everyone stays in line." Lisanna responded.

"Mira, is Leo around?" Erza asked.

"Unfortunately, you just missed him. He left on an S-Class quest a few days ago. He probably won't be back until next week at the earliest." Mirajane answered.

"I see. And since you are covering for Master that means that you can't leave the guild either. Guess I have no choice then. Are Natsu and Gray here?" Erza asked.

"Right here Erza. We're just being good friends like always." Gray responded; his arm slung around Natsu's shoulder. Both mages were smiling in fear at Erza.

"Aye." Natsu said.

"Natsu sounds like happy! What's going on?" Lucy questioned.

"Natsu and Gray are very scared of Erza. Natsu challenged Erza a long time ago and he got beat up really badly. Erza also beat up Gray for walking around without clothes." Lisanna explained.

"While it is nice to see the two of you getting along, even the best of friends disagree and fight from time to time. But more to the point, I heard something on my way back from my job and since Master isn't around, I would like to investigate it on my own. I want you two to come along in case there is any trouble. We leave tomorrow morning." Erza said.

"Erza, Gray and Natsu. That's an interesting team. Might even be one of the strongest teams formed in Fairy Tail." Lisanna remarked.

"Be careful Erza. Whatever it is you are investigating, please be safe." Mirajane said as she watched Gray, Natsu and Lucy board the train.

"We will. While I would prefer being able to take you along, I'm certain between the four of us we can handle anything that might happen. Why did you want me to take the new girl along anyway?" Erza asked.

"Lucy might be new but she's a great mage. She and Natsu managed to finish the Duke Everlue mission and received high praise from the client. Her celestial spirits might come in handy." Mirajane responded.

"I will be off then." Erza said, giving one last wave before boarding the train.

"That reminds me, I should probably send a message to the master that those four are working together. Wonder what his reaction will be? It will probably be hilarious. They account for most of the property damage the guild does. Master will probably be white as a ghost. Ah, if only I could be there to see it." Mirajane remarked casually, making her way back towards the guild.

* * *

"Strongest team? Who told you that?" Gray questioned as he and Lucy were standing in the clearing waiting for the spar between Erza and Natsu to start.

It had been a few days since Erza, Natsu, Gray and Lucy had returned. It turned out that Erza had discovered a plan by the dark guild Eisenwald. Eisenwald was planning to use Lullaby, a flute containing death magic, to kill the guild masters. The four had chased after the dark guild, dealing with most of the members at Oshibana station. Natsu had managed to defeat Erigor, the ace of Eisenwald. However, their success was short lived as one of the dark guild members, Kageyama, stole Lullaby and tried to use it to kill the guild masters. Before he used it though, Makarov was able to make him see that his actions were wrong and he gave up in his attempt to murder the guild masters.

Lullaby turned out to be a demon created by Zeref and the flute turned into a giant monster. Erza, Natsu and Gray were able to punch enough holes in the monster, preventing it from using its song to kill. They were then able to use their magic to take it down and force it back into its flute form. The flute was now in the custody of the magic council. Of course, being Fairy Tail, not everything went well because they ended destroying the guild master conference meeting hall. They were forced to flee the mob of angry guild masters, spending a long time making their way back to Magnolia. During their adventure, Erza had agreed to have a spar with Natsu when they returned.

"But that's what Lisanna said. Aren't you, Natsu and Erza like amongst the guilds strongest?" Lucy responded.

"I think you misunderstood me Lucy. I said one of the strongest." Lisanna countered.

"In terms of power, Erza is tied for strongest female mage in the guild with Mirajane." Gray said.

"Wait, Mirajane is really strong?" Lucy asked.

"Big sister is one of the S-Class mages of the guild. In terms of the strongest guy though, it would probably be Leo or Gildarts. And for the strongest team it would technically be the team consisting of Leo, big sister Mira and Erza." Lisanna responded.

"I heard my name." Leo said as he walked up to them with Mirajane clinging to his side.

"Lucy, meet Leo. He's an S-Class mage of Fairy Tail and probably the strongest mage in the guild." Lisanna introduced.

"Nice to meet you Lucy. But don't listen to anything. I'm not that strong. I just use my brain more often than most people here." Leo said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

"Please forgive him, he doesn't really know how to take compliments. He also doesn't like to flaunt his strength but he is really one of the strongest in the guild. In fact, I wonder who would win between him and Master Makarov." Mirajane countered.

"That match will never happen. Besides, Master has years of experience on me. Not to mention great control over his insane power." Leo retorted.

"True, Master would probably not survive just the thought of all the property damage such a fight would cause." Mirajane added.

"You two seem really close." Lucy remarked.

"Leo is my boyfriend! We've been dating for about a year now." Mirajane responded, pressing herself closer to Leo.

"Oh wow. But Sorcerer Magazine never mentioned this! How did you two get together? And how are you okay with her modelling?" Lucy asked.

"Leo helped me get stronger and over time I realized I liked him a lot. We decided to give a relationship a try and here we are one year later." Mirajane replied.

"We try to keep our relationship a secret from the media. All the guild members know though and they always help to warn us whenever there's a chance that our relationship might end up public news." Leo added.

"The modelling thing started more as a way to tease Leo actually. It's so much fun to see you squirm when I show you what I have to model in." Mirajane teased.

"Demon." Leo muttered.

"And you love me for it." Mirajane retorted.

"I do." Leo said, placing a kiss on the top of her head, causing her to hum softly in contentment.

"Oh! She's using her Flame Empress Armor!" one of the guild members remarked, drawing everyone's attention back to the spar.

"It seems like Erza isn't giving Natsu a chance." Mirajane commented.

"Natsu asked for it. He needs to learn to think more before rushing into things. But it is interesting to see how he deals with a type disadvantage." Leo said.

"Flame Empress Armor? What does it do?" Lucy asked.

"Erza's Flame Empress Armor increases Erza's resistance to fire magic. This means that the effectiveness of Natsu's attacks will be halved." Lisanna replied.

"Knowing that flame brain, he will still just charge in." Gray remarked.

True to form, Natsu ignored the type disadvantage caused by Erza's armor and engulfed his body in flames. He went for a straight charge as Erza did the same, bringing her sword up to match his fist. Before the two fighters could make contact however, a loud clap rang throughout the field.

"That is quite enough." Came the voice of a frogman bearing the crest of the magic council.

"What is an employee of the magic council doing here?" Leo asked as he and Mirajane made their way towards the frogman together with Master Makarov.

"For charges caused during the incident in Clover Town, Erza Scarlet is under arrest for immediate trial at the Fiore Branch." The frogman said, raising the arrest warrant as proof. Leo let out a long sigh as Erza stepped forward. Leo pulled Erza into a hug, whispering into her ear.

"Those old farts are always on our backs. I'll see you soon Erza. Love you." Leo said before giving her a soft kiss on the lips and letting her go. Erza allowed the council employee to place magic suppressing cuffs on her and trudged along to the vehicle that would take her to the trial.

"Hey you can't do that! Erza wasn't the only one responsible! Leo, how could you let them take her away like that?" Natsu questioned angrily.

"Simmer down Natsu." Leo warned.

"Simmer down? How can you ask me to simmer down when Erza is being wrongly accused of crimes? Let her go you bastard!" Natsu shouted as he surged forward but Leo held him back.

"Last warning Natsu. Stand down." Leo threatened.

"I will stand down when they let Erza go!" Natsu countered, letting flames engulf his whole body. Leo calmly threw Natsu back before raising two fingers towards him.

"Six light rod prison." Leo muttered before six rods of light slammed into Natsu preventing him from moving. He then proceeded to drag Natsu back to the guild hall.

"Alright everyone, the spar is over. Get back to whatever it is you all were doing before." Makarov said, getting the rest of the guild to disperse.

"Leo, what are you doing? Let me go! Don't you care about Erza?" Natsu growled out. The entire room froze as Natsu was slammed into the ground by an immense pressure.

"Don't you ever say or even think that I don't care about Erza you hear me? I love Erza dearly. But picking a fight with the magic council will get you nothing but trouble." Leo warned, before letting the pressure lift and allowing Natsu to recover.

"Wait, I thought he was your boyfriend Mira?" Lucy asked, trying to take her mind away from the intense pressure she had felt moments earlier.

"He is. He is also in a relationship with Erza. See we both realized that we like him. So, we decided to try sharing him! And here we are now one year later." Mirajane answered.

"That sounds odd. Don't you get jealous?" Lucy asked.

"Leo loves us both equally. He makes sure to spend time with us both together and individually. He is very attentive to all our needs." Mirajane responded.

"So, what is going to happen to Erza?" Lucy asked.

"Those old geezers at the magic council just want to make it look like they actually have a handle on things. This trials just for show. Erza will be back in a few hours." Leo answered with a scoff, ignoring the struggling Natsu.

"A fake trial?" Lucy asked.

"It makes sense if you think about it." Gray remarked.

"The magic council is supposed to be in control of all matters related to magic. It looks pretty bad that the Eisenwald incident happened and the ones to deal with it are Fairy Tail mages and not council officers." Lisanna added.

"So, they are going to have a fake trial with Erza just to show that they are still in control of things?" Lucy asked.

"That's right. You're quick on the uptake. That's a good skill to have. Unlike Natsu here. It seems no matter how much I bash his head in, he still rushes in first and asks questions later." Leo responded.

"I think that's actually detrimental to getting him to think. But you don't know about these things with Natsu." Mirajane added.

"What would have actually happened if Natsu had gone after them?" Lucy asked.

"Kid would have gotten Erza into more trouble. Although there still wouldn't be any charges that would stick, they would probably be able to lock Erza and him away for a day or two." Leo responded.

"Natsu is strong. But he still hasn't shown that he can't handle himself well in situations. It's one of the reasons he's never been nominated for S-Class promotions. Until he shows that he can handle himself, he probably will never get nominated." Mirajane added, earning an aggravated look from the pink haired mage.

"I'm going to chill upstairs for a while." Leo said before walking up the stairs to the second floor, Mirajane following close behind him.

"I've been meaning to ask, what is upstairs?" Lucy asked.

"Upstairs is the area reserved for S-Class mages. S-Class mages are mages selected by the Master who are deemed capable enough to handle S-Class quests. S-Class quests are dangerous missions that makes those down here look like a simple stroll. A single mistake could lead to severe injury or even death. Of course, the pay is also much higher to match the risks." Lisanna answered.

Leo took a seat on one of the empty chairs and was surprised when Mirajane made herself comfortable on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist as she rested her head against his shoulder.

"You're tense." Mirajane remarked as she felt one of Leo's hands start rubbing circles on her back.

"I can't help it. I know Erza is fine. But anytime I'm faced with uncertainty I get a little worried. Especially if it concerns the two of you." Leo admitted, kissing Mirajane's neck and causing the silver haired woman to moan.

"Please stop unless you want this to go further." Mirajane said as Leo sucked on a particularly sensitive spot near her collarbone. One of his hands was now rubbing up and down her thighs while the other was wrapped firmly around her waist to pull her as close to him as possible.

"You enjoy this. Besides, I wouldn't mind this going further at all. But we will stay decent in the guild, I'm sure you can control yourself. We can have fun when Erza gets back tonight." Leo responded, continuing to pepper kisses on Mirajane's slender and pale neck.

"You tease. You are making it hard to resist. Making me want to drag you back home or to a lockable room in the guild." Mirajane remarked.

"Says the demon who enjoys getting Erza to pose with you in the sexiest outfits and watching me squirm when I can't do anything." Leo muttered. Mirajane simply smiled, placing her hands on his cheeks and meeting him for a steamy kiss.

* * *

"Hey there Erza. Glad you made it back in one piece." Leo said, wrapping his arms around Erza to welcome the red-haired mage back.

"I'm back. The fake trial took longer than expected and I ended up missing the train." Erza remarked, enjoying the warmth as she requipped out of her armor and allowed herself to press closer to Leo.

"It doesn't matter. What's important is that you're back." Leo said.

"Is anyone still at the guild?" Erza asked as Leo walked with her towards the guild, Erza pressed firmly into his right side with his arm wrapped around her waist.

"Everyone has left. Me and Mira were waiting for you to come back so we could go home together." Leo said as they entered the guild and saw Mirajane finish closing up the bar. Mirajane walked up to them and made herself comfortable on Leo's left side, his arm automatically wrapping around her waist.

"Erza, nice to see you back. Did you have any trouble with the council?" Mirajane asked as the three walked out of the guild, separating momentarily so Mirajane could properly lock it up.

"No, it went as usual. They spouted off their usual drivel about causing problems for them and how all mages were under their jurisdiction. Then they said that this was a warning as they couldn't pursue the charges because they had other more important matters to attend to." Erza answered.

"Honestly those old coots are a real annoyance. They wouldn't need such pointless displays if they actually did their jobs." Leo remarked.

"Well, someone here might be able to make a difference if they decided to accept a certain title they were offered." Mirajane commented.

"Indeed. It still surprises me that you would reject the honor of becoming on of the ten wizard saints." Erza added as they walked through the streets of Magnolia.

"Can we please not talk about that? I already said I didn't want to accept that title because it's just something for the council to hold over me if I did. Besides, that title seems much grander than it actually is. Only mages the council like actually get nominated. Based on power alone, someone like Gildarts would have been one of the ten ages ago." Leo countered.

"Fair enough. Where are we going?" Mirajane asked.

"Yes, I thought we would be heading home." Erza added.

"Well, it's been quite a while since we went out on a date together. So, I went and made reservations at the restaurant that we all really like!" Leo answered.

"When did you have the time to do that? I was with you the whole time and you just came back today!" Mirajane questioned.

"Oh, I might have done so while on the way back from my job. Besides, we can enjoy a nice meal, and then after that, I can punish my naughty little Knight for all the things I learnt you did while chasing down Eisenwald." Leo said, whispering the last part right into Erza's ear and giving her butt a light smack causing her to jump a little. Mirajane giggled as Erza's cheeks gained a rosy blush while the three continued walking to dinner.

* * *

"Hold on!" Leo shouted as he walked down the stairs towards the door. He was dressed in a simple T-Shirt and shorts. Leo opened the door and was surprised to see a distraught Lisanna on the other side.

"Lisanna, what's going on?" Leo asked.

"Laxus informed Master that an S-Class quest was missing! He said that he smelled cat in the S-Class lounge." Lisanna answered.

"Leo come back to bed!" Mirajane shouted from the upstairs bedroom.

"This is annoying. Just when I was going to sleep in and have a quiet day with Erza and Mirajane. Head back to the guild. I'll go get Mirajane and Erza up so we can head to the guild." Leo said.

Lisanna nodded and left before Leo sighed and headed back up to the bedroom. When he headed entered their bedroom, Mirajane was sitting up in the bed, the sheets wrapped around her chest, giving him a coy smile. He wondered where Erza had gone and was surprised when he felt the redhead's arms wrap around his shoulders and her breasts press into his back. He groaned when she started nibbling on his ear. He saw Mirajane about to join in and spoke before things got out of hand.

"As much as I would love to continue and we did say we were going to have a late day to ourselves, we need to get to the guild. Something bad has happened." Leo said, causing Erza and Mirajane to frown in annoyance.

"What happened?" Mirajane asked.

"Someone stole an S-Class quest. Laxus reported what he knew to Master." Leo answered.

"Whoever interrupted my morning and stole that quest is going to get it!" Erza muttered before storming off to go get ready. Mirajane muttered in annoyance issuing the same threats as Erza as she walked towards the bathroom in the hall to get ready.

* * *

"Who stole the quest Master?" Erza asked once she, Leo and Mirajane had arrived at the guild.

"It was Natsu. Laxus was supposed to go after them but an emergency S-Class request came in and you three were unreachable so he had to take it." Master responded, a clearly annoyed look on his face.

"Master send Gray to get them back but he hasn't returned yet and we are starting to get worried." Lisanna added.

"Well one of us has to go and retrieve them then. Not it." Leo said.

"Not it either." Mirajane added.

"Huh, wait what? No fair you two!" Erza muttered as she realized that she was the one that had to go and retrieve Natsu.

"Sorry Erza. I promise that I'll give you a nice reward when you get back with them." Leo said, giving her an incentive to go.

"I suppose that works for me. Besides, I need to vent my frustrations at Natsu for being an idiot and interrupting out morning. I should be home by tonight. Love you." Erza said, giving Leo a kiss before leaving the guild hall. As she left, she was muttering about the things she would put the troublemakers through causing the rest of the guild to give her a wide berth.

* * *

"What is taking Erza so long?" Leo muttered as she sat at the bar.

"I think she just might have a little trouble with finding them." Mirajane responded from the other side of the bar where she was helping Lisanna pack up for the day. Leo felt his communication Lacrima buzz and was surprised to see a message from Erza.

"They have already left for Galuna Island. She'll need to spend some time getting a ship and heading out there to retrieve them. And knowing them, Erza will somehow get roped into completing the S-Class quest with them. There go any evening plans I had. Say Mira, how about we take an S-Class quest together? The last one I took was with Erza." Leo suggested after reading the message from Erza.

"Now? Isn't it a little late though?" Mirajane responded.

"If we leave now, we can make it to another town to spend the night before starting the mission tomorrow." Leo said, his eyebrows moving up and down suggestively.

"I'll go get changed to something more suitable and see you at the train station!" Mirajane said with a bright smile before rushing out of the guild hall. Leo walked up to the second floor, taking an S-Class mission from the board before coming back down.

"Hey Master, me and Mirajane are going for the Wyvern elimination quest!" Leo said, waving the flyer in front of Makarov.

"Okay. Have fun and don't do anything that I wouldn't do." Makarov said, giggling perversely at the end. Leo smacked Makarov in the back of his head, knocking the guild master off his perch on the bar before leaving the guild, muttering about stupid old perverts.

* * *

"Mira, you look as amazing as ever. I can't tell if you look better like this or in your dresses." Leo said as Mirajane walked up to him. She had changed out of her long maroon dress and was now wearing a simple pink t-shirt and black leather pants. Her pants were tucked into black boots.

"Hmm, I hear you say that all the time lover boy." Mirajane said seductively, sauntering up to Leo and pressing herself into his side. Leo shuddered as she leaned in an gave his earlobe a lick.

"As much as I would love to keep going, we should get to the train so we can head to the nearest town to the quest location for the night." Leo said, taking deep breaths to keep himself under control as his eyes kept roving over Mirajane's form.

Her enticing bosom accentuated by the tightness of the t-shirt and her pert rear was shown off well by her leather pants. Leo loved the more innocent Mirajane that was usually with him at the guild but he also loved the seductive Mirajane that she became whenever they went for quests together.

"Lead the way then. I'm looking forward to some quality alone time away from the guild." Mirajane whispered into his ear causing Leo to groan as he led them to their train.

* * *

"Is Master Makarov here?" Erza asked as she, Lucy, Gray, Natsu and Happy returned to the guild after completing the quest on Galuna Island.

"Unfortunately, he had to leave for an urgent council meeting. He's been gone since yesterday." Lisanna replied.

"Yes! That was a close one." Natsu cheered.

"We won't have to deal with 'that' until gramps gets back." Gray said.

"Oh, thanks goodness, I wasn't ready to stare into the face of death. I still got 8 more lives." Happy added.

"I can't take this anymore! How exactly is he going to punish us? I'm so young and still have so much to live for!" Lucy cried out in fear.

"All of you shut up!" Erza growled angrily.

She was annoyed enough at having to miss her time with Leo but chasing after them had taken much longer than she had expected as they had already left on a boat to Galuna. When she had arrived and tried to drag them back, all three had vehemently denied her orders. Especially Gray who had a personal stake in seeing the quest through. In the end she had relented and helped with the quest knowing that she couldn't drag them back to the guild without facing problems. While the quest itself, dispelling the curse on the island, took them a few hours to fix, they spent a long time dealing with the rogue wizards who were trying to free Deliora.

"When will Master return?" Erza asked.

"He should be back very soon." Lisanna answered.

"Good then. You four can wait for Master Makarov to return and give you your punishment. I'm going to look for Leo and Mira. Do you know where they are Lisanna?" Erza asked.

"Big sister and Leo went off on an S-Class mission together after realizing that you had to go all the way to Galuna to chase after the four of them. He suspected that you might end up getting involved with the quest." Lisanna replied.

Erza started shaking in rage. Leo was right as usual. But it still felt terrible that she had been left behind by the man she loved and her former rival turned best friend. She didn't blame them of course. They didn't know how long the quest would take and she didn't expect them to just idle around and wait for her. No, she was pissed off at the fact that she missed a good chance to spend quality time with her lover and best friend because she had to take care of a group of immature wizards. Granted her rage was offset a little by the fact that this mission allowed Gray to confront with and overcome his past. Just a little.

"This is all your fault!" Erza shouted at the four of them as a dark aura surrounded her.

"Oh boy, Erza's pissed that she didn't get time with Leo and Mira. I think all of you should run now." Wakaba suggested.

"You all have my condolences." Macao added. Lisanna nodded in agreement at the statement.

"Run for it!" Lucy, Gray, Natsu and Happy all shouted together as they started fleeing for their lives from the very angry redhead who was shouting out how she would punish them for their actions.

* * *

**And that's this chapter done. A little bit short and blazing through the earlier bits of cannon. They pretty much happen the same way just with little interactions and changes caused by Leo. I felt that there was no real reason to involve him in either the Eisenwald or Galuna Island arc. I chose to not mention what happened during the mission he and Mirajane are going on. It's up to you readers to guess what they were really up to. Trying to keep this as T-Rated as I can, *wink* *wink*. Next chapter will be Phantom Lord arc. More fighting less fluff and interaction there. **


	3. Phantom Lord

Chapter 3

"Man was that an awesome job or what?" Natsu remarked as he, Gray, Erza and Lucy were walking through Magnolia back towards the guild.

After being punished by Erza, which meant that they were beaten black and blue, Makarov had returned from his meeting and delivered his own punishment. The four mages had learnt their lesson and promised never to attempt such an act again. The four had then left for a quest that they had just completed, Erza tagging along since Leo and Mirajane were still not back yet from their own quest.

"The client certainly seemed to think so." Happy added while flying close to the group.

"Face it, you guys are just lucky that I decided to come along." Gray said.

"We're lucky that you begged to come with us? How do you figure?" Natsu questioned.

"Because you were as helpful as one of Erza's suitcases." Gray responded.

"You better watch your mouth or I will pack you like a suitcase." Natsu retorted.

"That doesn't make any sense." Gray countered, the two butting heads before they were slammed into the ground by Erza.

"That is quite enough you two. I want to hurry up and get back to the guild. Leo and Mirajane should be back soon if they aren't already." Erza said, breaking up the fight.

"Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but when I took this job, I intended it to be a solo mission. So why did you all have to come along?" Lucy asked.

"We're a team! We should stick together." Natsu replied.

"As much as I didn't want to tag along, I didn't think leaving you alone with the two of them was the wisest thing for your sanity." Erza added.

"Let's just get back to the guild." Lucy said, getting them to keep walking even as she smiled at the thought of such amazing friends and teammates. As they were walking through the town, they saw the looks of pity and muttering from the townspeople.

"Why is everyone staring at us?" Gray asked.

"It's not the good kind of staring." Happy remarked.

"It feels like they are pitying us. Let's hurry back to the guild." Erza said, getting the group to increase their pace to the guild. When they reached the guild, all five of them were shocked to see the guild completely wrecked with iron pillars sticking out of it.

"No way…" Gray muttered.

"I don't understand." Lucy remarked softly.

"What happened to it?" Erza questioned.

"Our guild…someone did this to our guild!" Natsu growled out angrily.

"It was phantom. Come on, we're all in the basement." Lisanna said, leading the group to the basement where everyone else was drinking. All around people were muttering about the damage to the guildhall and the reasoning behind the attack by phantom.

"Hey kids." A clearly drunk Makarov greeted as he sat on a crate.

"We are sorry that we didn't get here sooner." Erza said.

"Why are all of you just sitting around down here?" Natsu questioned.

"How did it go Lucy? Did you finish your job like a good girl?" Makarov asked with a drunken slur.

"Yeah, I guess so." Lucy replied uncertainly.

"Gramps, the guild hall is completely wrecked. How can you be drinking here doing nothing?" Natsu questioned.

"There is no need to get yourselves all worked up. It's not the end of the world or anything. It just goes to show how cowardly those guys from Phantom Lord are. They struck when no one was here. Its nothing worth bragging about." Makarov responded.

"Nobody was here?" Erza noted.

"Yeah, they hit us at night once everyone had left." Lisanna explained.

"I see. It's good that no one was hurt then." Erza remarked.

"That's right. We shouldn't trouble ourselves with people who don't even have the guts to face us head on. Forget about those fools." Makarov added.

"Not going to happen gramps. We can't just let them trash the place and get away with it." Natsu growled angrily, punching a crate in his anger.

"I'm not speaking about this any longer. We will handle job requests from here until the guild is repaired." Makarov responded calmly.

"We shouldn't be worrying about jobs right now…" Natsu said but was cut off by Makarov.

"Natsu! That's enough out of you!" Makarov shouted, extending his hand and spanking Lucy.

"And you spanked me because?" Lucy asked.

"Please keep your hands to yourself Master or I will tell big sister Mira what you did." Lisanna warned. Makarov laughed and hopped off the crate before walking away.

"Where are you going old man?" Natsu asked.

"Keep your dress on. I'm going to go take a leak." Makarov responded, disappearing into the washroom.

"I don't understand how he can act like this." Natsu muttered.

"This is hard for him too." Lisanna said, trying to get Natsu to calm down and see reason.

"That's right. I support Master's decision to let this matter rest since no one got injured. A fight between guilds will land us in deep trouble with the magic council." Erza added.

"But it's not fair. They started it." Natsu retorted.

"Fair or not, it doesn't matter. We must act in the guild's best interests." Erza said, silencing any further response from Natsu.

* * *

**Same Day, Night**

"So, this is the place." Lucy remarked as she arrived at the address that Erza gave her. She knocked on the door a few times and it opened to reveal Erza on the other side.

"Welcome. Glad you managed to find your way here. Please make yourself comfortable." Erza said, moving aside so Lucy could enter the house. Gray, Natsu and Happy were already there making themselves comfortable on the couch and floor respectively.

"Why did I need to come here anyway for the night anyway?" Lucy asked.

"Lisanna said that Phantom members might still be in town and may even have learnt where we all live. For tonight all guild members are expected to stay in groups." Erza answered.

"Safety in numbers and all that." Gray added.

"Originally, Gray and Natsu were supposed to stay with you at your place but seeing as how Leo and Mirajane have yet to return, I decided to offer to look after all of you at our place instead." Erza said.

"So, this is where you live? How do you people even afford this? It must be expensive!" Lucy remarked.

"It was. This was initially Leo's home. Or at least half of it anyway. Around 4 months ago, me and Mirajane decided to move in with him and we bought the house that was originally next to his. Combine the two houses and this is what you get." Erza said, explaining the reason for the oddly large house.

It had been expanded from the initial 2-story four-bedroom house into a 2-story house with 8 bedrooms. Only 4 of those bedrooms were actually usable since the other 4 contained Erza's extra stuff and the random bits they accumulated from quests. There was even a basement that served as a makeshift lab for Leo. Lucy made herself comfortable on one of the dining chairs, accepting the cup of tea offered by Erza.

"I've been meaning to ask. Do any of you know why Phantom would attack us out of the blue like that?" Lucy asked.

"I'm afraid not. Our guilds have been at odds for a long while. But it has never resulted in something of this magnitude before." Erza responded.

"If gramps wasn't so scared of them, we could wipe out those punks once and for all." Natsu remarked.

"Come on, you know Master isn't actually afraid of them Natsu. Don't forget he is one of the ten wizard saints." Gray retorted.

"What are the ten wizard saints?" Lucy asked.

"It's an honor bestowed by the magic council. Supposedly awarded to the ten most powerful wizards on the continent." Erza answered.

"Phantom Lord's Master Jose is one of them too." Happy added.

"He is afraid. He's scared that Phantom has too many members for us to handle." Natsu growled out, slamming his hand against the table as he stood up from the floor.

"That is not true and you know it. The consequences of us going to war against Phantom are no where near worth the fight. The order of the magical world is at stake here." Gray countered.

"I don't understand why. Are they that strong?" Lucy asked.

"They ain't got nothing on us. We can take those clowns." Natsu responded.

"Not as we are now. If we went to war with them now, neither guild would survive. Their strength is equal to ours. Phantom's Master Jose is one of the ten wizard saints, which means that he is on par with Master Makarov. They also have a group of elite wizards similar to our S-Class known as the element four. However, the biggest threat might be black steel Gajeel, the iron dragon slayer. He's the one that's most likely behind all the damage done to our Guildhall." Erza retorted.

"There are other dragon slayers? I thought Natsu was the only one. Does that mean he eats iron?" Lucy asked in shock. Nods from the rest were her response.

"But we have our own S-Classes too. In fact, I'll bet Leo alone could trash their guild!" Natsu boasted.

"Pay attention flame brain. Erza said we would have a tie if we fought them as we are now. Leo, Mira, Mystogan and Laxus are all away right now. If even one of them comes back, the balance would start tipping more in our favor." Gray said.

"Are they really that strong? I mean I've only really talked to Mira and Leo and they seem like such nice people. Could four people really make that much of a difference?" Lucy asked.

"Mira is an S-Class mage and is equal in power to me. Mystogan is another S-Class mage and despite how mysterious he is, Laxus has praised his strength which means it is something noteworthy and at least on par or greater than me and Mira's. Laxus is probably the guild's third strongest member not including Master Makarov. He is one of the most accomplished Lightning users in the entire continent." Erza answered.

"Don't forget that Laxus has his thunder legion as well to help boost our fighting capabilities." Gray added.

"And lastly Leo. Possibly the strongest man in the entire guild. In some circles he's received the epithet, "The Unparalleled Monster". I've never seen him actually fight at 100% before and what we have seen is devastating for his opponents." Erza continued.

"But they are not here now hence why taking on Phantom isn't worth it. It would just lead to mutually assured destruction." Gray remarked.

"Even if they were around, taking action and going to war against Phantom is still ill advised. We would be disrupting the order of the magical world and drawing the wrath of the magical council on a scale that we have never done before. It wouldn't be worth it." Erza retorted.

"Anyway, it's getting late. The bathrooms are labelled on the second floor have a bath before you guys sleep. You can use any room that doesn't have a label on it and isn't the room at the very end of the hall upstairs. I'll see you all in the morning." Erza said before heading up the stairs towards the master bedroom.

* * *

**Next Morning**

"Levy!" Lucy shouted in concern.

"Jet! Droy!" Gray added.

Erza, Lucy, Gray, Natsu and Happy were heading towards the guild when their attention was drawn to Magnolia Southgate Park. When they arrived at the scene and walked through the crowd towards the tree in the center, they were aghast by what they saw. Team Shadow Gear, consisting of Levy, Jet and Droy, were hanging from the tree, pinned by iron shackles. Levy's abdomen was painted with the crest of Phantom lord.

"Phantom Lord did this!" Natsu growled angrily.

"Master." Erza said, barely restrained rage tinging her voice.

"I can take our headquarters being reduced to rubble. But I will not let harm come to my children without taking revenge! We are going to war with Phantom!" Makarov ordered, crushing the wooden staff in his hands into splinters as his magic exploded around him.

"Phantom will pay." Lucy muttered, tears stinging her eyes as she watched over Levy, Jet and Droy at the hospital. Makarov had formally announced their intention to go to war with Phantom Lord moments ago, taking almost every able-bodied wizard at the guild with him to attack them. Lucy and Lisanna had opted to stay behind in order to watch over the injured members of team Shadow Gear.

"I'm sure they will be fine Lucy. Phantom won't know what hit them." Lisanna said with a smile, placing a hand on Lucy's shoulder, trying to lighten the somber mood.

"Fairy Tail has come knocking!" Makarov shouted after Natsu blew off the doors to the Phantom Lord building. A large group of Phantom members charged with their weapons towards the Fairy Tail wizards but Natsu simply batted them away with his fire.

"Alright, who wants to play with fire!" Natsu goaded. The entire guild hall was filled with fighting as the Phantom and Fairy Tail members clashed with each other.

"Purple Net! Now Wakaba!" Macao said, using his magic to ensnare several Phantom members."

"On it. Here comes Smoke Crush!" Wakaba said, sending several fists of smoke from his pipe to knock out the Phantom members.

"Guns Magic, Spark Shot!" Alzack said, taking out several Phantom members with shots from his revolver. A Phantom member tried to sneak up on Alzack but was taken out by a long range shot from Bisca.

"Getting rusty there, Al. Homing Shot!" Bisca said, targeting several Phantom members and hitting them with shots from her sniper rifle.

Several Phantom members surrounded Makarov who used his magic to grow large. The now giant Makarov used his hands to swat aside and crush the Phantom members that were foolish enough to try and attack him.

"He's a monster!" One Phantom member shouted in fear.

"And you dared to attack this monster's children. Were you foolish enough to think that human laws would protect you my rage? Jose, show yourself!" Makarov shouted as the Fairy Tail members used their attack to disable multiple Phantom members at once.

"Tell me where Gajeel and the element four are!" Erza demanded as she requipped into her Flame Empress armor and used a fire attack on a large group of Phantom mages.

"So that's the might Titania, Erza. But Laxus, Mirajane, Mystogan and Leo are not here. Are they looking down on us that much?" Gajeel muttered as he watched the fighting happen from the roof of the guild hall.

* * *

**At The Same Time As The Attack On Phantom**

"I hope everyone is doing alright." Lucy muttered as she walked through the streets of Magnolia carrying a bag of groceries. Lisanna had asked her to get some things from the shop so she could make a meal for everyone that did not follow to attack Phantom.

"It's raining while the sun's still out?" Lucy remarked as it started to rain around her. She noticed a blue haired woman walking towards her.

"Who are you?" Lucy asked.

"Drip, drip, drop. Juvia is the rain woman. What kind of woman are you?" The blue haired woman, Juvia responded.

"I'm just a normal girl." Lucy replied, uncertain of the question.

"Drip, drip, drop. Pleasure to meet you. Juvia will be going now." Juvia said, unfurling an umbrella over her head.

"Non, non, non. I bid you bonjour Mademoiselle. Juvia, mon Cherie, you must not shy away from the task at hand." A green haired man said as he rose from the ground.

"No monsieur Sol." Juvia responded.

"My monocle whispers to me many things mon Cherie. It tells me this madame before us is our target." Sol added.

"Does it? So, she is the one." Juvia stated.

"Target? Me?" Lucy muttered.

"Oh, pardon me. I have not told you my name. I am Sol of the element four. Also known as Sol of the earth. But I would prefer if you called me monsieur Sol." Sol said.

"Element four. I've heard of you. You're with phantom." Lucy said, tensing her body in preparation for a fight.

"Correct. We've been sent here to collect you and bring you back to the guild with us at once. My companion the rain woman is also one of the element four. She is known as Juvia of the great sea." Sol stated.

"Not going to happen." A voice from behind the element four stated before a bolt of lightning struck Sol and Juvia, sending them to their knees in pain and shock. They turned and saw Laxus and the thunder god tribe standing there.

"This is an unforeseen circumstance. We were not expecting Laxus Dreyar to be here." Sol remarked.

"I don't know what you Phantom clowns want with my guildmate and I don't really care. But you people hurt Fairy Tail. That's not going to fly with me. Ever, Freed, Bickslow, take the girl back to the guild." Laxus said, sparks dancing around his body.

"Are you sure we should just leave him here?" Lucy asked as the three members of the thunder legion herded her away from the battle.

"Laxus will be fine." Freed assured.

"Besides, it will be easier for him to cut loose without us around." Bickslow added.

"I'm going to enjoy getting payback from the two of you." Laxus said as he prepared an attack.

"The situation has turned unfavorable. We will leave. But this is far from the end." Sol stated before he disappeared into the ground and Juvia turned into water.

"Tch. Cowards with cheap tactics." Laxus muttered in annoyance, letting his magic dissipate before starting to make his way to the guild hall.

* * *

**Back At Phantom Lord**

"Thanks for the flames!" Natsu said after he consumed the fire that was shot at him by the Phantom mages. The flames increased his power and he used it to hit them with a Fire Dragon Roar.

"Ice Make, Lance!" Gray said, sending a large pillar of ice into a group of Phantom mages.

All around them the Fairy Tail mages were taking down the Phantom mages with ease. Erza had requipped into her Black Wing Armor, slashing at the Phantom mages around her. Laki used her wood make magic to handle large groups of Phantom mages at once. Bisca and Alzack used their guns magic to devastate the Phantom members.

"Erza! I'm leaving the rabble to you!" Makarov said as he ascended the floor of the guild hall to the top floor where he suspected Jose would be.

"Be careful master." Erza muttered.

"Alright everyone, let's show them what Fairy Tail is made of!" Erza shouted, motivating the other guild members to continue their assault on Phantom. As they continued to easily decimate the Phantom members, there was a sudden pressure before a black-haired man landed on top of the Phantom Lord guild sign.

"That's black steel Gajeel. The iron dragon slayer." Erza warned.

"You attacked Levy!" Nab shouted, charging at Gajeel only to be easily knocked aside by a pillar of iron that swung through a group of Phantom mages.

"He just knocked out his own guildmates with that attack." Gray remarked in shock.

"Show me watch you've got. Unless you Fairy scum are too scared to face the iron dragon slayer." Gajeel taunted as he leapt from the sign and landed on the ground.

"Too scared? Real men have no fear!" Elfman shouted, charging at Gajeel and transforming his arm into one encased in stone. Gajeel smirked as he blocked the hit by turning his arm into a pillar of iron.

"You're Elfman aren't you?" Gajeel questioned. Gajeel stretched out his leg, turning into a pillar of iron in an attempt to strike Elfman. Elfman countered by transforming his other arm into stone as well and catching the attack.

"Not bad." Gajeel admitted.

"That's because I'm a real man!" Elfman said.

"Then let's see how a real man deals with this!" Gajeel shouted, extending several iron pillars from his leg that struck the nearby Phantom mages.

"You attacked your own men?" Elfman questioned in shock.

"Because I knew it would distract you!" Gajeel responded, striking the distracted Elfman with his left arm that he transformed into an iron pillar. Natsu used Elfman as a springboard and joined the battle, striking Gajeel with a fist covered in fire. The iron dragon slayer was sent flying into the Phantom bar.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Fairy Tail's dragon slayer. Elfman, leave this guy to me." Natsu said, his fists covered in flames.

"Come on, first you use me as a springboard. Now you want to steal my man to man fight?" Elman questioned.

"Iron Dragon Club!" Gajeel shouted, striking Natsu with his right hand that turned into an extending iron pillar.

"Natsu!" Erza shouted in worry when Natsu took the hit straight on.

"You destroyed our guild hall. Then you attacked out guild hall. I will make you pay!" Natsu threatened, lighting his hands on fire before tossing Gajeel away.

The iron dragon slayer spun in the air, leaping off a roof beam towards Natsu. Natsu blocked the attack with his left arm before striking Gajeel with his left fist, sending him into the wall. The other Fairy Tail members watched on, impressed with how Natsu was handling Gajeel.

"Not bad. But I'm still standing." Gajeel taunted as he climbed out of the rubble his impact had caused.

"Yeah, but not for much longer." Natsu responded.

Gajeel smirked before charging at Natsu, surprising the fire dragon slayer with his speed. Natsu didn't have time to prepare himself as Gajeel lashed out with a leg that was transformed into an iron pillar. Natsu was sent through the air, crashing through several Phantom members before stopping in a pile of rubble.

"What's the matter? You can dish it out but you can't take it?" Gajeel taunted as he slowly approached the downed Natsu. The rubble erupted in flames as Natsu stood back up.

"It's going to take a lot more than that to keep me down." Natsu said.

"You seriously think you can beat me, pyro?" Gajeel challenged, a magic circle appearing over his right arm and turning it into an iron pillar.

"What do you mean think? I know that I can." Natsu returned, his right arm blazing with fire.

As the two dragon slayers were duking it out, matching each other blow for blow, the entire guild started to shake. The Phantom members were shaking in fear and wondering what was happening. The Fairy Tail members were smirking as they felt like they couldn't lose. Erza took the opportunity to rally the guild members into a renewed assault on Phantom.

"Jose!" Makarov shouted as he blew the doors down on the top floor of the Phantom Lord building.

His magic was visible around causing damage to the structure around him as he walked into the room. Seated on a throne was a man with black hair that had a reddish tint to it. He was wearing a flamboyant coat with a high collar that sported a jagged mantle and jagged lower edges with two prominent wings similar to a bat's. He also had a witch-like hat that had the symbol of Phantom Lord.

"Look what the cat dragged in. It has been so long since we last met. I remember that meeting. My drinking tolerance was not very good." Jose remarked.

"Why are you attacking Fairy Tail? Tell me!" Makarov demanded. Jose smirked but didn't answer, making Makarov enlarge his fist and attack the Phantom Lord master. Makarov was surprised however, when Jose didn't dodge and when the dust from the attack cleared, Jose was still there smirking as his form flickered.

"A thought projection? You don't even have the guts to face me in person and ran away with your tail between your legs?" Makarov questioned.

"I'm merely trying to avoid a fight between two wizard saints. I prefer to win my battles without such commotion. Although it seems that my plans have not worked out thanks to that annoying grandson of yours. But no matter, I shall take what I can get." Jose remarked.

"Where did he come from? I didn't even feel his presence." Makarov muttered as he turned around and realized that someone was behind him. Behind him, a tall and massive man with tanned skin appeared. He was dressed in a large, loose green coat sporting white edges. His eyes were also blindfolded and he was crying.

"It is so sad!" the man remarked before using his magic on Makarov. Makarov felt his magic power disappear before he fell to the bottom floor, creating a crash that drew everyone's attention.

"What happened to me? I feel so weak. My magic it's gone!" Makarov muttered, his skin an unhealthy shade of green and he couldn't move.

"Master!" Erza shouted in worry, immediately rushing to Makarov's side.

"Good work Aria. You were able to make Makarov's power disappear. I think it's safe to say that at least we have won this confrontation, Fairy Tail." Jose remarked as his projection looked down at the defeated form of Makarov.

"Master, calm down." Erza soothed, holding the small old man in her arms as she tried to understand what he was trying to say.

"What happened to him?" Cana asked.

"I don't know, but I don't sense any magic power coming from him." Gray responded.

"Gray, are you saying that he is an ordinary old man now?" Elfman asked.

"Come on Gramps, you can pull through this." Natsu said.

"I don't understand. Gramps is so powerful. How did they manage to beat him?" Gray questioned.

"Their master has been defeated! We can take them!" The Phantom Lord members said, going on the offensive against the disorientated Fairy Tail wizards. Fairy Tail was now on the defensive as Phantom Lord attacked them with vigor. Macao was even hurt shielding Cana from a combination attack.

"We are at a severe disadvantage without Master Makarov. Our morale is also dangerously low." Erza muttered as she assessed the situation.

"We must retreat! Everyone back to the guild at once!" Erza ordered. The Fairy Tail members tried to argue with her order but a firm glare cowered them into compliance.

* * *

**A Few Hours Later**

"You guys look terrible. What the hell happened at Phantom? And where is Gramps?" Laxus asked as he saw the Fairy Tail mages return.

"Laxus, you're here? When did you get back? And why didn't you come help us?" Natsu demanded. Laxus ignored him, smacking the fire dragon slayer into the wall as he looked to Erza for answers.

"We were beaten. Master Makarov was taken out and I had to order a retreat." Erza answered, tears stinging her eyes as she cursed her own weakness and blamed herself for not following Makarov.

"No way. Gramps got taken out? How?" Laxus asked in shock.

"We don't know. He went to confront Jose alone but then he crashed back down with no magic power." Gray responded.

"Alzack and Bisca have taken Master to see Porlyusica. We can only hope that she can help him." Erza said.

"I came back when I heard what happened. As I was on my way to the guild, I saw tow of Phantom's element four attempting to kidnap Lucy. I decided to stay behind instead of chase after all of you in case they decided to try again." Laxus said, explaining why he didn't join them in attacking Phantom.

"Why would they send two of the element four to kidnap Lucy?" Erza asked.

"I have a sneaking suspicion I know why. Hey Lucy, is your last name Heartfillia?" Laxus asked, causing Lucy to stiffen.

"I suspected as much. I've heard chatter about how the Heartfillia heiress is a blonde-haired girl about your age and ran away from home. Rumor was that your dad put in a request to a guild to 'retrieve' you." Laxus added, sharing what he had heard while on the road with Phantom.

"Why would he care now? I ran away over a year ago. But more than that, this is all my fault. If I turn myself in this will all end, right?" Lucy asked, not wanting to see the people she had come to care about hurt because of her.

"Do you want to go back?" Natsu asked.

"No! I want to stay here with Fairy Tail! I want to keep going on adventures with everyone! I want to continue being a wizard! But it's causing all of you so much pain!" Lucy responded.

"It won't matter if you turn yourself in to Phantom. I doubt the war will end. From the start even if this was a formal request from your dad Phantom's gone about this the whole way. Attacking another guild like this is well beyond what is expected behavior of a regulated guild. The request was just an excuse for Jose to come after us. He's always had a bone to pick with us." Laxus explained.

"But more than that. You are a member of Fairy Tail. And that makes you family. And no matter how much trouble a family member causes, we will always stick together. So, stop crying because we're going to make sure Phantom regrets ever touching our guild." Laxus added.

"If I had known a guild war with Phantom would have gotten you acting like this, I might have poked Jose more when I met him." Leo said with a smile, making his presence known as he walked into the basement together Mirajane.

"You're finally back!" Erza shouted, rushing towards Leo and hugging him, tears stinging her eyes. Leo freed one hand to brush away the tears from her eyes.

"I'm sorry it took me so long Erza. You did a good job taking care of everyone." Leo said.

"But this is all my fault. If I had followed Master he might not have been defeated and we could have ended the war already." Erza said, burying her face into his chest.

"No one blames you Erza. I'm sure Makarov trusted you to look after the others for him. He probably wouldn't have been able to fight at all if he didn't know he could trust you to look after them." Leo soothed.

"Besides, I've told you before right, you can't change the past, but you can change the present." Leo added, running his hands through her hair.

"Laxus is right Lucy. You are family. If staying here is what you want, then we will stick by your decision and make sure to send Phantom packing!" Mirajane said. Lucy smiled at the rest of the guild, grateful that she was part of such an amazing family. Before she could say anything, Bisca and Alzack returned.

"How is Master Makarov?" Lisanna asked.

"Porlyusica says that he has been affected by a spell called Drain. He will need time to recover his magic." Alzack explained.

"That sounds like the work of Aria, one of the element four and the one representing the element of wind. He probably caught Master by surprise. Drain takes some time to prepare. I doubt Master would have just stood there and let the attack hit him." Leo remarked. Before anyone else could speak, the ground started shaking.

"This isn't natural. We should go upstairs and see what's causing it." Laxus suggested, leading the way upstairs.

When everyone got out to the back of the guild, they were surprised by what they saw in the water. Walking towards them was a chunk of rock. It was moving using large metal legs and on top of the rock was the Phantom Lord guild building. The sight made many of the members of Fairy Tail mutter and shake in fear. The walking guild stopped before one of it's walls slid down, revealing a large barrel.

"What the hell is that?" Erza questioned.

"It seems Jose really intends to wipe us out. Such a disappointment of a man." Leo muttered before slowly striding forward.

"Leo!" Natsu shouted in worry.

"Let him go Natsu. Leo can handle this on his own. Mira and Erza believe in him, so I will too." Laxus said, holding the dragon slayer back.

"Waves, rise and become my shield. Lightning, strike and become my blade. Sogyo No Kotowari." Leo said softly as he summoned a pair of swords into his hands.

The swords were connected together at the base by a red rope that had five silver metal square charms on it. The swords themselves were quite slim and halfway down the length of the blade there was a second blade jutting out and running parallel to the main blade. The cutting edge of the second blade also faced inward instead of outward.

"It's been a long time Jose. The last time we met was in Era with the magic council seven months, ago right?" Leo said, tilting his head in thought.

"If it isn't Leo Titus. I wonder which hole you finally decided to crawl out of. Did you think so highly of yourself that you couldn't join the attack on my guild with your pitiful master? The same Master that I defeated?" Jose taunted.

"I have my doubts about how you pulled that off, but nonetheless a win is a win. I congratulate you for besting Master Makarov even if it is through less than savory means. But then again, what can one expect from someone who is the guild master of Phantom Lord." Leo retorted.

"You talk a lot for someone who is about to be turned to dust. I will make sure to get rid of all you fairies!" Jose shouted.

"You sure you aren't just overcompensating with that? Because from where I'm standing, it really seems that you are." Leo taunted.

"Enough of this talk! This Jupiter Cannon will rid me of all of you pests!" Jose shouted as energy started to gather in the barrel before it fired off towards the guild.

The Fairy Tail guild members prepared for it to hit them, closing their eyes for the inevitable pain. They reopened them when the pain never came and were surprised to see Leo holding back the attack by pointing the sword in his left hand at it. They watched in awe as the shot from Jupiter disappeared.

"He did it! He stopped Jupiter!" Cana cheered causing everyone in Fairy Tail to shout in joy.

"I wonder if you can keep doing that! Jupiter will recharge in fifteen minutes!" Jose threatened.

Leo remained silent however as the charms on the rope of his swords glowed blue before he pointed the sword in his right hand straight at the Jupiter Cannon. It glowed for a moment before a blast that was larger and faster than the initial one from the cannon was fired. The blast hit the cannon, destroying it and a large portion of the guild hall revealing a shocked looking Jose.

"Leave now Jose!" Leo threatened his previous jovial attitude gone.

"You think that just because you've destroyed my Jupiter Cannon that this is over? I will show you true despair!" Jose responded after getting over his shock. The mobile guild transformed into a giant mechanical being that started casting a spell.

"That spell…it's abyss break. And one of that size will hit Magnolia too!" Mirajane warned.

"If I'm not mistaken, Abyss Break is powered by four elements." Laxus said.

"Then that means we need to take out the element four to stop it. It is likely that they are the ones powering the spell." Erza added.

"Laxus, Mira, Erza, Gray, Natsu. You guys are with me. We're going to board that thing and take it down." Leo stated.

"I call dibs on the guy that hurt my gramps." Laxus said.

"Natsu, can I leave Gajeel with you?" Leo asked.

"I'm going to beat that guy black and blue for everything that he has done!" Natsu responded.

"Good. The rest of you will spread out and take down any member of the element four you find. Everyone else will stay here and protect Lucy. Phantom isn't getting their grubby hands on her you got it?" Leo ordered, getting choruses of agreement from the rest of the guild members.

"Scatter Senbonzakura. Second release, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi." Leo said, softly, swapping out his twin swords for Senbonzakura and activating its second release. The flower petals created a platform straight to the hole that Leo had made in the Phantom guild.

"Let's go show these Phantom losers just who they are messing with!" Laxus said as all six mages rushed towards the guild hall. They landed softly in the hole Leo had made, coming face to face with Jose.

"You fairies are getting on my nerves." Jose growled.

"Pleased that we could be of service." Leo retorted with an exaggerated bow. The rest of the group spread out, running through the guild hall to find their own opponents.

"I'm going to enjoy tearing you apart first. Once you fall, no one here will be able to oppose me and that will be the end of Fairy Tail." Jose taunted. The magic energy of the two wizards started to rise, causing the mobile guild to start to shake as they prepared to square off.

* * *

The other Fairy Tail members that had stormed the guild hall had gone in separate directions to track down the element four and Gajeel. Natsu had immediately found Gajeel's scent and was roaming the guild chasing after it. Mirajane met with Sol on the lower floor after punching a hole downwards in the guild. Erza had tracked down Totomaru of fire in a room close to the core of the mobile guild hall where the smashed Jupiter Cannon was. Gray headed for the roof where he encountered Juvia. Laxus didn't need to go far as he found Aria at the bottom of the stairs leading to the room where Jose had been.

* * *

"I am Aria. The pinnacle of the element four." Aria introduced.

"So, you're the one that hurt my gramps. That's not going to fly with me!" Laxus growled, lighting erupting around his body as he rushed at Aria. Aria raised a hand and an invisible barrier contacted Laxus' fist, making the lightning mage growl before leaping back to assess the situation.

"My airspace magic is absolute! Airspace, Zetsu!" Aria announced, firing several projectiles of air at Laxus. Laxus was taken by surprise at first by the invisible projectiles, but he surged his lightning to destroy them before they could do anything to him.

"You're an annoyance." Laxus said, sending a massive bolt of lightning at Aria. The air mage quickly created an invisible barrier to block the attack but was shocked when the barrier cracked and the attack hit him. Although most of the energy had been dissipated by the barrier.

"Against someone like you, even I must take this fight seriously." Aria remarked as he opened his eyes.

"Activate, Airspace of death Zero!" Aria announced as his magic increased and the wind picked up around him.

"I was supposed to keep this a secret but hopefully if I hit you hard enough, you won't remember any of this." Laxus said, his own magic increasing as his body was completely enveloped by lightning. Laxus surged forward, disappearing from sight before appearing behind Aria.

"How did he move so fast?" Aria exclaimed in shock.

"Take this. For everything you did to my gramps and the guild! Lightning Dragon's Jaw!" Laxus shouted, clasping his hands together over his head before slamming them into Aria's back. The air mage felt the wind get knocked out of him before he was slammed painfully into the ground. Laxus watched for a moment, his body tense in anticipation but Aria lay motionless in a heap on the ground.

"Pathetic. And you element four are supposed to be equal to our S-Class? What a joke?" Laxus muttered. He felt the guild continue to shake as he looked up at the room where Leo and Jose were.

"You're really going to trash him huh, Leo. Serves that fool right for coming after us in the first place. I should go see how the others are doing and get out of here before you blow this place sky high." Laxus said to himself before looking for the hole that Mirajane made and leaping down it.

* * *

"I am Monsieur Sol of the element four. A pleasure to meet you, She-Devil of Fairy Tail." Sol said, giving an exaggerated bow as he faced off against Mirajane who was already in her Satan Soul.

"You were the one who tried to kidnap Lucy." Mirajane muttered.

"Yes, it was me and Juvia. But we were interrupted by Laxus before we could complete our task. An unfortunate circumstance. Nevertheless, I must persevere and complete my current task of eliminating you." Sol said, creating statues of earth that resembled Elfman and Lisanna.

"What are those?" Mirajane asked as the statues started approaching her.

"These are my earth statues. Can you really bring yourself to strike down your siblings?" Sol taunted. Mirajane raised her fist but stopped herself before it contacted one of the statues of Lisanna.

"I thought so. It seems even the She-Devil is not without a heart for her family." Sol remarked. He snapped his fingers and the statues exploded, barraging Mirajane with rocks. Mirajane crossed her arms and wrapped her wings around her body in order to protect herself from the impact.

"Is that the best you can do?" Mirajane taunted as she unfurled her wings and moved her arms to reveal that she was completely unharmed by the attack.

"Oh no mon Cherie. That was simply a warm-up you see I also have the ability to read the memories of my opponents in order to see their worst possible moments! And that allows me to use this spell! Merci La Vie!" Sol said, activating a magic circle above Mirajane.

Mirajane felt the world around her distort as it turned into the scene from two years ago. She watched as Lisanna stood in front of the rampaging Elfman. She screamed in horror as Elfman swatted Lisanna aside, grievously injuring her. Mirajane was frozen as she relived the scene. But before she let it overtake her, she recalled what really happened. How Leo had saved her that night and the warmth she felt when she finally accepted his help. She let the warmth of his love fill her body, using it to break free of the illusion.

"You broke free of my spell? How?" Sol asked in shock.

"You showed me my worst fear. But my worst fear never happened. And I know that it will never happen. Not so long as I'm surrounded by friends I can trust and have the man I love by my side. But showing me that was your biggest mistake." Mirajane responded, a dark aura erupting around her.

"Mercy, please!" Sol pleaded.

"Sorry all out of Mercy!" Mirajane said, surging forward and slamming Sol by the head into the ground before punching him square in the face. She watched with a satisfied smirk as his limbs twitched for a moment before they stilled. She looked up when she felt a presence approaching, smiling when she saw Laxus descend through the hole she had made earlier.

"You gave him one heck of a trashing." Laxus remarked as he saw the downed Sol.

"He was asking for it. Did you have any problems with Aria?" Mira responded.

"He wasn't that tough. For S-Class mages they aren't all that strong." Laxus stated.

"True. We should go check on the others." Mirajane suggested, getting a nod from Laxus. The two made their way through the building, looking for their friends.

* * *

"I am Totomaru of the element four." A man with two tone hair of black and white introduced. He was wearing orange ninja-like attire with prominent reddish fur around the corner.

"You're the one who uses fire." Erza remarked as she requipped into her Flame Empress Armor.

"I'm honored that someone as infamous as the Titania Erza knows who I am. But I am afraid that I must defeat you here. Blue Fire!" Totomaru said, sending a torrent of blue flames straight at Erza.

"This is for all you Phantom jerks have done to our guild and my friends!" Erza shouted, rushing through the flames much to Totomaru's shock. Totomaru had no time to react before Erza slammed the flat of her sword into his body, slamming him painfully into the ground. She stood over him, prepared for him to recover. When he showed no signs of moving, she dropped her guard and requipped back to her normal Heart Kruez armor.

"Erza!" Mirajane shouted as she and Laxus entered the room.

"Mira, Laxus! I'm glad that you two are both fine." Erza said.

"We should find the others." Laxus said, leading the way this time to the rooftop where he knew Gray was.

"Why is it raining? It wasn't raining before." Gray muttered as he climbed onto the roof.

"Drip, drip, drop. I am Juvia the rain woman. One of the element four." Juvia said, appearing before gray holding a pink umbrella.

"You're one of the element four huh." Gray remarked, standing straight and getting ready for a fight.

"I never imagined that the other three would be defeated. Especially not Aria. Even so, do not underestimate Juvia." Juvia said.

"Sorry to break it to you, but I don't go easy on people who hurt my friends. Even if they are women or children." Gray stated.

"Won't hold back? Then Juvia gives up! Goodbye!" Juvia said quickly before turning away.

"Wait! Stop the giant!" Gray ordered.

"What is this feeling? Juvia wants to make him hers! Juvia cannot hold back! Water Lock!" Juvia shouted, trapping Gray in a bubble of water.

Gray was caught by surprise for a moment, grunting as his injuries from Galuna that were still recovering caused him some discomfort. He quickly composed himself and used his ice magic to freeze the dome of water around him, shattering it to break free.

"He escaped from Juvia's water lock using his own power? Is this the power of an ice wizard? Exquisite! Water and Ice… It's like we are bound by fate! I've finally found you, Juvia's prince!" Juvia muttered to herself.

"That was a close one. Didn't think that you would go for a surprise attack. I won't hold back anymore! Ice Make, Lance!" Gray said, taking off his shirt causing Juvia to blush. Gray then brought his hands together, creating several lances of ice that struck Juvia directly. Gray was surprised that she let the attack hit. He was even more surprised that his attack had no effect.

"Juvia's body is made out of water." Juvia explained.

"It is unfortunate that we are enemies. But this is our unfortunate fate. Juvia will not lose heart. Farewell, my small blossom of love. Water Slicer!" Juvia said, raising her hand and sending several thin streams of water at Gray. Gray was able to dodge the attack, watching in shock as it tore apart one of the structures on the roof.

"High powered water jets can cut through even steel. Underestimate water and you will regret it." Juvia warned.

"Ice make, Battle Axe!" Gray shouted, bisecting Juvia with his ice. Juvia stood there taking the attack and it had the same effect his previous attack did on her.

"Try again and again, but nothing will change. Against Juvia, physical attacks are useless." Juvia said.

"She's a tough one, but I still have to defeat her." Gray muttered to himself.

"You cannot defeat Juvia but you can still save yourself. Bring me Lucy Heartfillia and I will ask my Master to withdraw." Juvia said.

"It would be pretty embarrassing if I withdrew. Besides, I need to do my part too if everyone else has already defeated their own group in the element four. And I doubt your Master is going to make it out of this one." Gray retorted as the area where Jose and Leo glowed before a massive structure consisting of several layers of swords arranged in a circle appeared.

"What is going on over there?" Juvia wondered.

"That guy, he still has something beyond his normal second release? Just how strong is he?" Gray remarked to himself.

"Juvia cannot allow you to leave then if you insist on this course of action." Juvia said before blasting Gray with a jet of water.

"What the hell. That was boiling water." Gray muttered as he barely avoided the attack. He tried to launch an attack at Juvia but he wasn't fast enough as Juvia shot another blast of water at him, forcing him to dodge.

"This is bad. My creation magic can't keep up. What do I do?" Gray said to himself as he kept dodging Juvia's attacks.

Then he remembered something that Leo had thought to him. With some opponents, it isn't about who can get the most hits out but who can make that one hit count. Being able to take a hit to make that opportunity could be the difference between victory and defeat. Bracing himself, Gray took Juvia's attack head one, much to the shock of the Water mage.

"Freeze!" Gray shouted, freezing the attack and Juvia with it. The ice shattered and Juvia was on the ground on her hands and knees, panting from the strain of breaking the ice.

"He froze my attack? But I cannot give up! Juvia has only known the rain. Juvia cannot be defeated while in the rain! Juvia must win for Phantom! Because Phantom was the only place that accepted Juvia!" Juvia shouted as she was assaulted by the memories of her past. She got back up and sent an even larger burst of water at Gray. Gray prepared to try the same tactic again but was surprised when it didn't freeze.

"It's not freezing? This water…It's hotter than before! But I won't give up! This is for my friends! For Fairy Tail!" Gray shouted, releasing a large amount of magic and finally managing to freeze the water. His output was so great that even the rain was frozen.

"He even froze the rain? What amazing magic power!" Juvia remarked in shock.

"Ice Make, Geyser!" Gray shouted, slamming his hands into the ground. A large pillar of ice erupted beneath Juvia, trapping her inside before shattering it after draining her of all her energy.

"I've lost…It's all over now…Everything…Juvia, like a raindrop will fall to the ground and scatter into tiny fragments. A fitting end for an unwanted rain woman." Juvia said to herself as she started plummeting towards the ocean. Before she fell off the roof, Gray was able to pull her back to safety, laying her on the ground before sitting down next to her to catch his breath.

"Why did you save me? Are we not enemies?" Juvia asked.

"Enemies or not, it isn't right to let you fall." Gray answered. He smiled when he saw Erza, Mirajane and Laxus come up to the roof.

"You did Gray! Abyss break has been stopped! Great work!" Mirajane praised.

"I knew you could do it. We should hurry up and find Natsu. He might need help with Gajeel. We should also get off this place quickly before Leo and Jose's battle causes this whole place to crash." Erza said, helping Gray up. The group was wondering where they should go before a huge blast of fire created another hole in the walking guild.

"Something tells me that's where we will find Natsu." Laxus remarked. Just as the group was about to move off, a few arrows that were lit on fire were fired into the hole. The group looked at each other for a moment before hurrying towards Natsu's location.

* * *

"I'm going to make you pay for everything you did Gajeel!" Natsu growled as he started down iron dragon slayer. His whole body was covered in fire.

"You finally showed up Salamander. Took you long enough. I'm going to enjoy finishing our fight from before." Gajeel said.

"Bring it!" Natsu shouted.

Natsu surged forward, his fists blazing with fire. Gajeel turned his left arm into a pillar, extending it to try and hit Natsu. Natsu caught the pillar with both hands, using it to throw Gajeel into the wall. Gajeel was able to spin in mid-air, righting himself so he used the wall as a platform rather than crashing into it. Gajeel blocked a punch from Natsu using his still transformed left arm, the attack causing the wall he was using as a platform to be destroyed, kicking up a large cloud of dust.

Gajeel emerged first from the dust cloud, Natsu hot on his tail. Gajeel had a shocked look on his face before Natsu's fist contacted his face, sending him flying into the far wall. Natsu quickly followed up on his attack with a Fire Dragon's Talon attack, lighting his leg on fire and attempting to hit Gajeel with a heel kick. Gajeel used his left arm that was still transformed into an iron rod to block the strike, pushing Natsu back. Natsu flipped a few times to right himself before landing on the ground. Gajeel recovered, standing on the ground and smirking at Natsu.

"Don't get so damn cocky, you trash." Gajeel taunted.

"The same goes for you. I'll smash that face of yours into iron fillings." Natsu retorted, lighting his right fist on fire.

"Sounds interesting! Try it!" Gajeel goaded, transforming his right arm into an iron rod.

The two dragon slayers surged forward, both attempting to deck each other in the face. But their first attacks were both dodged by their opponent. Natsu was quicker to recover, turning around and using his other hand to punch Gajeel. Gajeel jumped back before extending an iron pillar at Natsu. Natsu skillfully dodged the attack, using the pillar as a beam to reach Gajeel quickly and delivering a drop kick that caused the iron dragon slayer to stagger. Gajeel recovered quickly, turning his right arm into another iron weapon and tried to use it to hit Natsu. Natsu quickly rolled out of the way, taking note of the iron dragon slayer's new appendage.

"What the hell is that dangerous looking thing?" Natsu questioned.

"Iron Dragon Sword. Anything it cuts will be torn to shreds. Let me test how well it cuts on you, Salamander!" Gajeel answered, the spikes on the blade like appendage moving and turning it into a saw.

"That's nothing!" Natsu responded. Natsu leapt out of the way as Gajeel swung the saw blade at him.

"What's the matter? Not taking the attacks head on like before? You said it was nothing right?" Gajeel taunted as he kept swinging at Natsu. Natsu kept dodging the attacks, leaping back to create some distance between them.

"You are pretty agile." Gajeel remarked.

"Same goes for you." Natsu responded.

"Let's put an end to this, Salamander!" Gajeel said.

"I'm all fired up! You scrap iron bastard!" Natsu replied.

"This is going to destroy you!" Gajeel stated as his skin transformed into scales made of iron.

Natsu's eyes widened as Gajeel surged forward and punched him. Natsu quickly crossed his arms to block the attack, the force sending him crashing into the wall behind him. Natsu grunted in pain as he slowly got up from the attack. His arm was bruised where Gajeel's fist had hit him.

"That made a nice sound, let's see if you can keep making it!" Gajeel said, rushing forward and striking Natsu several times.

Natsu was unable to dodge the initial few hits but quick figured out Gajeel's fighting style in his new form. This allowed him to start dodging hits. Natsu was surprised when Gajeel's kick that missed him kicked up a strong gale and damaged the floor behind him. Natsu quickly got over the shock, sending a flame covered fist at Gajeel's face. Gajeel was unfazed by the attack however. Natsu on the other hand grunted as he felt immense pain coming from the hand that he had used.

"What the hell. This form even increases his defense?" Natsu muttered.

"My scales of steel render any attack useless!" Gajeel declared, headbutting Natsu into the ground. Natsu recovered and rolled away from Gajeel to put some distance between them.

"You scaly bastard! This will send you flying! Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu shouted, sending his breath attack at Gajeel.

"Iron Dragon Roar!" Gajeel shouted, countering Natsu's breath with his own. The two attacks clashed and punched a large hole in the guild building. When the dust cleared, Natsu was clearing injured, his body littered with tiny cuts.

"Looks like the difference between our dragon slaying elements is becoming quite clear, Salamander. Even if your flaming breath has the power to burn an opponent to ashes, it can't leave a single mark on steel. But my own breath of iron blades can slice up your body pretty good." Gajeel taunted.

"Not a single mark? You sure you still not half asleep?" Natsu retorted. Gajeel's eyes widened when he felt cracks appearing in his scales.

"My flames aren't just flames, you know. Fire dragon flames can incinerate everything!" Natsu declared.

"If you don't come at me seriously, you're going to be smashed to bits, Black Steel Gajeel. Enough measuring each other up." Natsu threatened.

"Sounds good to me!" Gajeel responded.

"Come at me, Gajeel!" Natsu goaded.

"There isn't enough room in the sky for two dragons! I will strike you down, Natsu the Salamander!" Gajeel proclaimed.

The two dragon slayers rushed at each other, trading kick and blows. Their attacks were causing mass destruction to the area around them. They were mostly equal as every punch Natsu pulled off, Gajeel responded with one of his own. For every blow Natsu struck, Gajeel was able to hit Natsu with one of his own. The two dragon slayers met blow for blow. Their fists stopping each other and their kicks blocking each other. When there was a momentary pause in their clashing, both Natsu and Gajeel were panting in exhaustion. However, Gajeel didn't idle, instead taking the opportunity to consume the metal from some destroyed machinery.

"That's not fair! You have things you can consume!" Natsu complained.

"Now that I've eaten, I'm ready to trash you!" Gajeel declared, his magical energy recovering.

Gajeel started to give Natsu a trashing, punching him into the ground and dragging him along it using his Iron Dragon Club. Despite Natsu's efforts in retaliation using a Fire Dragon Iron Fist, Gajeel easily took the hit before tossing Natsu towards the hole that the clash between their roars had created earlier.

* * *

**With The Rest Of The Guild**

"Oh no! It's Natsu! He's losing to Gajeel!" Bisca informed the others on the ground as she watched the battle through her scope.

"A mobile guild hall probably has a lot of machinery that Gajeel can consume. Natsu's probably burnt out while Gajeel can just keep replenishing his strength." Lisanna stated, causing all the other guild members to worry for the Fire Dragon Slayer.

"We need to find some way to get fire to him." Macao said.

"I could carry you there but with the extra weight we might not get there in time to help. And we would be exposed while in the air. If Gajeel saw us coming, he could hit us then our attempt would have done nothing." Lisanna said, worried for the young man that she had a crush on.

"Maybe my new key can help. Open, Gate of The Centaur, Sagittarius!" Lucy said, summoning an archer dressed in a horse costume.

"Moshimoshi!" Sagittarius greeted as he appeared, saluting Lucy.

"Sagittarius, we will go through a proper contract later. Can you shoot fire at that hole?" Lucy asked.

"I cannot." Sagittarius replied.

"Wait, you don't need to shoot fire, but can you shoot arrows with my fire into the hole? Or can you create a fire inside there?" Macao asked.

"That I can do. With some fire coated arrows and some arrows to the machinery, a fire is no problem, Moshimoshi." Sagittarius responded. The guild members cheered as Macao got to work wrapping his fire around the arrows. Sagittarius fired the flaming arrows into the hole, the rest of the guild watching with bated breath as they hoped their attempt to help Natsu would work.

* * *

"Flaming arrows? What the hell is your guild trying to do?" Gajeel questioned as he easily sidestepped the arrows, allowing them to contact the machinery. The machinery started sparking before it burst into flames. Flames that Natsu promptly consumed.

"Thank you, Lucy, Macao." Natsu muttered gratefully to guildmates.

"Don't get all cocky because you consumed some fire!" Gajeel shouted, rushing at Natsu. Natsu blew Gajeel away with a punch that was empowered by a great deal of fire. The iron dragon slayer was launched into a far wall, crashing into it and slowly sliding to the floor. Gajeel groaned in agony, getting back up slowly.

"Iron Dragon Roar!" Gajeel announced, sending his breath attack at Natsu. Natsu stood there, bringing his hands in front of him and letting the attack hit. He deflected the attack around him, much to Gajeel's shock.

"He deflected my breath attack with his bare hands?" Gajeel muttered in shock.

"You're going to regret ever laying a hand on Fairy Tail." Natsu declared walking up to Gajeel who was muttering about the impossibility of the current situation.

"I refuse to lose to Fairy scum like you!" Gajeel growled out as he tried to punch Natsu. Natsu countered with his own punch, their fists contacting each other. Gajeel was surprised when the scales around his hand started cracking.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art! Crimson Lotus, Fire Dragon's Fist!" Natsu shouted, striking Gajeel rapidly with his fists that were lit ablaze. Each hit creating a fiery explosion when they contacted the iron dragon slayer. When Natsu ended his barrage, Gajeel lay unmoving on the ground.

"That was for everyone you hurt." Natsu stated as he looked at Gajeel's downed form.

"I see you managed to do your job flame brain. Of course, you needed help from the rest of the guild." Gray taunted as he, Erza, Mirajane and Laxus walked up to Natsu.

"Do you want to go stripper?" Natsu challenged.

"That's enough out of both of you." Erza said, slamming their heads into each other.

"We should clear out. This whole place could come down at the rate Leo and Jose are going at it." Mirajane said.

"How are we going to get off this thing though? Leo isn't around to give us a platform back to land. And I doubt you and Erza could carry all us." Laxus asked.

"It's simple. Gray, if you could." Erza ordered. Gray was softly muttering about annoying redheads who were too fond of bossing everyone around as he walked towards the hole in the guild building.

"Ice Make, Stairs!" Gray shouted, creating a set of stairs that extended back to the rest of the guild. The five wizards walked back to their comrades and were greeted with cheers. Everyone then turned and watched with baited breath as they waited for Leo to return with the good news.

* * *

"I've always been curious about how strong you really were, Leo Titus. To be noticed enough by the council to be nominated to be one of the ten wizard saints at your age is extremely impressive. Yet you were such a fool and rejected the offer." Jose remarked.

"Such titles have no meaning to me. I'm content with my life the way it is now. All I care about are my friends and loved ones. What is your game Jose?" Leo questioned.

"What do you mean?" Jose responded, curious at what Leo was eluding towards.

"You could have easily taken out Makarov for good given that you managed to pull off a surprise attack on him. But instead you opted to drain him of his magic instead. This isn't just about the request to retrieve Lucy is it?" Leo asked.

"You are an astute observer. I wanted Makarov alive to witness the destruction of everything he cared about. And you are correct initially this was just about getting the Heartfillia girl but then I realized this would be the perfect opportunity to strike at Fairy Tail." Jose responded.

"It irks me to no end. Phantom Lord is one of the oldest guilds in Fiore. Yet Fairy Tail quickly gained fame and reputation with members like Gildarts, Laxus, Erza, Mirajane, Mystogan and you Leo! And to add to that now you even have the heiress of the Heartfillia family in your guild! People started comparing the two guilds as though they were on equal level! This is a wake-up call for you fairies that Phantom Lord is always superior!" Jose added, ranting about the reasons behind the conflict.

"And I'm the foolish one? If you had done your research you would know that Lucy is a runaway. Kidnapping her would achieve nothing. And you and I both know what will happen after this is all over. No matter which one of us walks away from this." Leo countered.

"It doesn't matter what the magic council says. I can use the Heartfillia girl as a hostage and extort the family's fortune and use it to protect the guild." Jose retorted. There was a deathly silence before Leo's magical power surged even higher.

"You disgust me. You damaged my guild. Hurt my friends. Made the woman I love doubt herself. That is all unforgivable." Leo said softly.

"Slaughter, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi." Leo muttered. The petals of Senbonzakura disappeared before rows of glowing pink swords surrounded the two wizards.

"What is this?" Jose asked in shock as he took in the sight of the multitude of blades that surrounded him.

"This is a form I show only to those I have sworn to cut down. But these thousand blades, will not hit you at once. So, relax." Leo answered, raising out his hand. One of the blades floated to his hand, the pink glow disappearing to reveal Senbonzakura in its normal sword form.

"Big words. I hope you can back those up!" Jose said, sending a blast of shade magic at Leo.

As the beam travelled towards Leo, he simply swung his sword and batted it aside with ease. Leo took one step forward before he disappeared, reappearing once again in front of Jose. Leo flicked his wrist, delivering a slash that connected with Jose's left arm, causing a bleeding gash that made the other wizard growl in pain. Leo blurred out once more, returning to the spot where he started at.

"Don't get cocky just because you got one lucky shot in!" Jose growled, swinging his hand, causing the area Leo was standing in to be engulfed in explosions.

"That was a close one! That might have hit if you were actually aiming for me!" Leo said, causing Jose to widen his eyes in shock as Leo was now standing behind him. Jose turned around and tried to jump away just as Leo swung his sword. This caused Leo's attack to nick his chest.

"How are you moving this quickly? There was no such information on you having this level of speed or your sword having such a form!" Jose remarked angrily.

"I'm honored that a guild master and one of the ten would go through the trouble to research little old me. But as I said before, few have ever seen this form." Leo said.

"Don't get so cocky! Dead Wave!" Jose shouted, swinging his hand and sending several beams of Shade magic at Leo from different directions. Leo cursed for a moment, calling another sword into his hand and using both of them together to parry the attack.

"That was a close one. You really must have it in for me!" Leo remarked casually.

"I've had enough of you! Shade Entangle!" Jose growled, sending several shades at Leo. Leo cut a few of them down but was surprised when they wrapped around him and started constricting him. He grunted a little as the binds started to struggle.

"Well this is certainly perilous." Leo remarked, closing his eyes and concentrating for a moment.

"Don't bother struggling. The more you struggle the tighter the bonds will get. They will slowly suck away your life until you turn into a husk! I should parade you in front of the rest of the Fairy Scum. Knowing that even their strongest mage couldn't defeat me!" Jose said, smirking as he thought he had won.

"You really must love the sound of your voice." Leo muttered before several swords launched towards him, cutting apart Jose's shades and freeing him.

"But how? I thought you had to use the swords in your hands?!" Jose questioned in shock.

"You thought. I neither denied or confirmed that. Time to end this Jose." Leo said before appearing in front of Jose, stabbing his two swords into the man's feet. He raised one finger at Jose's shoulder as the Phantom Lord guild master stared at him in fear.

"Pale Lightning." Leo announced, firing off a small bolt of white lightning through Jose's shoulder. Leo made the swords at Jose's feet disappear before he grabbed the Phantom Lord Guild Master by the face and slammed him into the ground. He stood back for a moment watching as Jose struggled to his feet.

"This is not over." Jose muttered. His breathing was laboured and he was bleeding from the injuries Leo inflicted on him.

"I think it is. Dance of The Radiant Cherry Blossoms!" Leo announced, before he became a blur. He sped around Jose, summoning a sword each time he rushed past Jose, slashing him before letting the sword dissipate. When Leo reappeared, Jose's body was littered with multiple cuts. Jose let out a pained gurgle before he fell to the ground in an unconscious heap.

"Better make sure that you live. Don't want this coming back to bite me in the ass later on. Both of us and our guilds are going to get hell from the council after this." Leo said, using some magic to heal the worst cuts on Jose's body to make sure he didn't bleed out before anyone could find him. Once he had ensured the Phantom Lord guild master would live, he stored Senbonzakura back in his requip space and started walking away, heading for the exit so he could go back to the guild. He was surprised to see Makarov in the building waiting for him with a smile.

"An impressive display as ever my boy. It seems that every time I think you've shown us all your power; you pull something out of your ass to see us through. I came here prepared to deal with Jose but when I saw that you had it under control I decided to sit here and watch the show." Makarov said.

"Glad to see you recovered Master. Did Mystogan have a hand in that? From what I understand it should have taken at least a week for your magic to recover naturally." Leo asked.

"He did. He went out and wrecked the Phantom Lord subdivisions while gathering my magic." Makarov answered as they started walking through the destroyed guild.

"Guess we owe him our thanks. Let's get back to the guild. Everyone is waiting for us." Leo said as he looked at the gathered Fairy Tail members on the shore waving towards them.

* * *

**And that's it for the Phantom Lord Arc. Quite a lot of changes. Next we will move into The Tower Of Heaven with a brief mention of the Loki arc. Still thinking what I should do with Jellal. I'm tempted to either kill him off or to have him join Fairy Tail. Till Next Time!**


	4. Aftermath Akane

Chapter 4

"Mister Makarov! Court is in session sir! And we have a very strict policy of not sleeping while on the stand." A council worker warned, waking Makarov, who quickly apologized for falling asleep, up.

It had been around three weeks since the guild war with Phantom came to an end. Given the extensive damage to the guild hall, it was decided that they would be rebuilding it completely. A week after the battle between Jose and Leo, rune knights finally came and started rounding up members of Fairy Tail for questioning. It had taken around a week to gather everyone's statements on the incident and a week after that for the final verdict from the magic council. Makarov had been summoned by the magic council as the guild master of Fairy Tail to be given the verdict.

* * *

"Phantom Lord is to be disbanded and Jose stripped of his title as one of the wizard saints. Pretty much what I expected. But then Fairy Tail was found to be innocent which came as a bit of a surprise to me." Makarov said as he sat next to Yajima.

The verdict had been passed. As expected, the blame was placed on Phantom Lord for starting the guild war. Phantom Lord was asked to disband for going against the regulations set by the Magic Council that all guilds were required to follow. In addition, Jose Porla was to be stripped of his title of being a Wizard Saint for his actions and conduct. After the verdict was passed and the court adjourned, Yajima had wanted to speak to Makarov before he left.

"I spoke in defense of your character Makky. I hope you appreciate that." Yajima stated.

"You know I'm grateful for the support Yaj. I'd like if you could drop by the guild once its repaired. I'll treat you some ramen." Makarov responded.

"I could go for some Fairy Ramen with twelve slices of roasted pork." Yajima replied.

"That's kind of pushing don't you think?" Makarov retorted.

"Do you know what the penalty is for violating the fourth clause of your guild charter?" Yajima asked, his question coming off as a clear threat of what could have happened.

"Alright, I get the point. You can have 20 slices, better yet make it 30." Makarov relented.

"12 pork slices will be fine. Listen, I think its time for you to reign it in. We're just not as young as we used to be. Don't tell me that you've forgotten." Yajima advised.

"About what?" Makarov asked.

"What happened to our old pal." Yajima responded.

"Who, Rob? Of course not." Makarov said.

"Those were the good old days. The team of you, me, Rob and Porlyusica. We were all so young back then. Just a bunch of reckless fools. But we lived everyday to the fullest." Yajima reminisced.

"We sure did. Fairy Tail was a great place to be until Rob left us. Erza sometimes shares stories of what he was like in his later years." Makarov added.

"I brought this up because there is increasing talk that Fairy Tail's antics have been getting out of hand lately. Michaelo and Org have been making noise in the council about wanting to disband the guild. A man your age shouldn't be dealing with all these problems. It's too much stress. You won't do anyone any good if you are dead. Don't go like Rob. Seriously, you've got to step down soon. You are not as young as you used to be." Yajima advised. Makarov was silent as he pondered his old friend's advice. Yajima got up from his seat and took one step before turning to Makarov.

"It was nice talking with you like this Makky. One more thing I want to say before I go. Given the opening in the Wizard Saints now that Jose is being stripped of his rank, it is likely that Leo's name will come up for it once again. I would suggest asking him to accept the position if he is nominated for it once again." Yajima said.

"As much as I would like to say that I will convince him to accept, I doubt I can. Leo is far too much of a free spirit who likes to do things his way much like the rest of the guild. He always means well but the only people he ever listens too properly are Mira and Erza. And even if he has been a very positive influence to the rest of the guild, few know much about him aside from those two. And that's before factoring his dislike for the council." Makarov remarked.

"I know. He is an admirable person, living life on his terms and standing up for what he believes in. But you should still speak to him about this. While the council may have tolerated him rejecting the title the first time, rejecting it the second time reflects poorly on Fairy Tail. And appeasing the council will serve to reduce their animosity towards Fairy Tail. That was all I wanted to say. Have a nice trip back Makky." Yajima said before walking away and leaving Makarov to his thoughts.

* * *

"Alright everyone, we're taking on job requests again starting today!" Mirajane announced in place of Makarov who was still dealing with the magic council.

"You will have to excuse the mess while we're under construction but at least you can get back to work." Mirajane added, getting cheers from everyone in the guild.

"What's up with them? Most of the time these guys would be loafing around in the guild hall all day. Also, I don't suppose you've seen Loke have you?" Lucy who was seated at the makeshift bar asked.

"Don't tell me you've fallen head over heels for Fairy Tails resident playboy." Lisanna teased as she was cleaning a mug.

"It's not like that. It's just that I haven't seen him around recently and that's rare of him." Lucy remarked. Loke was one of the most prominent guild members and ever since the war with Phantom, he was rarely seen.

"I'm sure he's fine. Hey, Erza, how's the construction going? Here is a slice of strawberry cake for all your efforts." Mirajane said as she greeted Erza who was walking over after overseeing matters relating to the construction of the guild hall.

"Construction is progressing smoothly. I'm certain we can complete it according to schedule. Everyone is working hard to get this place back up and running. Thank you for the cake. Did you get anything for yourself? Overseeing administrative matters isn't easy." Erza responded, taking the plate gratefully and sitting down next to Lucy.

"Oh, it's nothing more than what I'm used to given all the times I've stood in for Master when he had to go for meetings. Speaking of which, there's Leo!" Mirajane pointed out, waving him over to them.

"Everyone's in a good mood." Leo remarked, giving Erza and kiss and licking her lips clean of frosting before locking lips with Mirajane.

"I'm sure everyone's happy that they can take jobs now. And it won't be long before we will have a guild hall again." Erza said.

"It is good that everyone is recovering so well. How did things go with the magic council?" Mirajane asked as Leo sat down at the bar.

"It went far better than expected. They put all the blame on Phantom Lord. That guild is being disbanded and Jose is being stripped of his title." Leo answered.

"That's a relief. I'm surprised they decided to let us go." Erza remarked.

"You and me both. I was surprised when Makarov walked out of the court and told me the results. I think we owe old man Yaj a great deal for covering for us." Leo said.

"Speaking of things, where is Master anyway? He came back with you right?" Lucy asked.

"He told me to return first. He wanted to talk to old man Yaj for a while. He should be back later today." Leo answered.

"Hey Lucy! Let's take a job!" Natsu suggested holding up a flyer. He was all geared up and ready to go.

"Why? And why would you agree to go with Gray on a job?" Lucy questioned, noticing that the Ice Make Mage was ready to go.

"Well, we've been working together since the whole Eisenwald incident even if it was Erza that pulled us together. So, I figure we should keep it going!" Natsu answered. Lucy couldn't help but smile. These were her precious comrades who stood by her through all the mess that happened.

"Alright let me go get my stuff together." Lucy said, getting off the bar and heading off towards her place.

"Hey Lisanna, do you want to tag along? It's been awhile since you went on a quest." Natsu asked.

"Do you mind looking after the bar for me big sis?" Lisanna asked. Mirajane made a shooing motion with her hands.

"Go. Me, Erza and Leo need to stay here anyway so we can help out the master with reconstruction efforts. Besides, you shouldn't stay cooped up behind the bar forever." Mirajane replied.

"Thanks a lot, big sis!" Lisanna said, leaving the guild to get her own things together.

* * *

"Retire huh." Makarov muttered after tagging a big gulp of his drink. He was sitting on one of the pillars for the new guild hall that was being constructed.

"With the new hall, perhaps the guild needs a new master as well. But who? Laxus has certainly mellowed out recently but he still lacks the closeness with the rest of the guild needed to be master. Mystogan is too much of a recluse. Erza and Mirajane are rather young for the post. Leo would be the most suited for the post but given his dislike for authority and authority figures in general, I doubt he would be willing to accept it so easily." Makarov said to himself.

"You know it's getting late. You should be resting instead of isolating yourself up there." Leo remarked, making his presence known as he walked towards the pillar Makarov was sitting on.

"Leo, I'm surprised you're still here. You usually go home early when Mira and Erza are both around." Makarov commented.

"I was out looking for you actually. Something on your mind?" Leo asked.

"It's just that Yajima brought up a few points about the guild that has me thinking. Nothing for you to worry about. But your name did come up in our conversation. With Jose being stripped of his title, that leaves an opening in the ten." Makarov responded. Leo let out a long sigh before speaking.

"Let me guess, he thinks I'm likely to be nominated again. This is such a drag. Working with those old farts in the council is so much trouble." Leo muttered.

"I understand your dislike for the council's methods. However, your refusal reflects poorly on our Guild. I am asking to you to strongly consider accepting the honor if they offer it again. For the sake of the guild. Accepting would appease the council and get them off our backs for a while." Makarov said.

"I get it master. That's a point I can't fight against. No matter how much I dislike the council, I dislike them coming after those I care about even more. I'll accept it if I do get nominated again." Leo relented.

"Good. I'm glad you're willing to sacrifice so much for this guild." Makarov said.

"This guild is my family old man. I'd do anything for family. Oh, by the way, I was looking for you because Natsu, Gray, Lucy and Lisanna ended up causing a lot of destruction on the job they went to today. The council wants an immediate apology letter." Leo said, waving a stack of papers as he recalled why he had been out looking for Makarov. Leo could only chuckle as he watched Makarov let out a long groan before seemingly turning into dust on the wind.

* * *

"You won't last much longer right?" Leo asked as he stood underneath a large tree. Sitting at the base of the same tree was a panting Loke.

"How long have you known?" Loke asked.

"That you were a celestial spirit? Since I first met you when you joined the guild. Your energy signature was significantly different than a normal person's. I suspect Master Makarov knows too. That you inadvertently caused Karen Lilica's death? That was about a year after you joined." Leo answered.

"I'm impressed you managed to piece together what happened to me. And you're right. I don't have much longer. But this is a fitting end for someone like me." Loke muttered with a bitter smile.

"It's true that you may have messed up Loke. But I believe that you had good intentions. That hardly warrants going out in such a bad way. You should talk to Lucy at least once. Even if you've resigned yourself to your fate, at least get this celestial spirit thing off your chest before you go. You owe it to yourself and for whatever reason you got yourself into this mess in the first place for." Leo said before walking away and leaving Loke alone.

"So, Lucy managed to get you back into the Celestial Spirit world huh. That's impressive. I have a feeling she might be one of the most powerful celestial spirit mages in recent history." Leo remarked to Loke who was rubbing his head nervously.

"Yeah. She managed to get the Celestial Spirit King to agree to letting me back into the celestial spirit realm. I'm now her contracted spirit. I'm still a member of Fairy Tail but my first priority will be Lucy from now on." Loke said.

"Is it safe for you to turn up here like this? I would think you would need more time to recover from staying in the human world for so long." Mirajane asked.

It had been a week since Leo's conversation with Loke beneath the tree. A few days after that conversation, Loke had suddenly quit the guild and left. The guild members had all started a search and Leo had directed Lucy towards Karen Lilica's grave, knowing that the celestial spirit had intended to fade into non-existence there. Lucy had refused to let Loke fade away after hearing his story. With her resolve, she had managed to call for an audience with the Celestial Spirit King and save Loke. She had explained the story to the rest of the guild when she had returned.

"It's fine. I may not be combat ready just yet but I can still come out now without fearing that I will fade away." Loke answered.

"So why did you come out to see us anyway?" Erza asked.

"I actually wanted to give Leo something as thanks for not spilling my secret, advising me to talk to Lucy about my problems before I died and pointing her in my direction. Probably wouldn't have made it without you." Loke replied.

"No thanks needed. You are a member of the guild. And that makes you family." Leo said.

"I know, but since I need to go back to being a celestial spirit again, I can't exactly use these. Might as well give them to someone who can." Loke said, holding up three tickets to Akane resort.

"Akane resort tickets?" Leo asked with a raised brow.

"Yup. I scored this some time ago and was actually planning on taking all my girlfriends there. But priorities change. They entitle you to a three-night stay at the resort. I already gave Lucy, Gray and Natsu tickets. Thought you three might like them. Consider this a present from me for all that you three do for the guild." Loke answered. Mirajane and Erza snatched the tickets from him and started muttering about going shopping for swimsuits.

"Have fun!" Loke said with a chuckle before disappearing back to the celestial spirit realm.

"We can go this weekend! I'll make sure to clear with Master for some leave from all the work. Besides, now that the investigation and verdict have been passed, he should be the one overseeing guild matters. Not us." Leo told Erza and Mirajane.

"Great that gives us time to go shopping for clothes and swimsuits!" Erza said, a glint present in both hers and Mirajane's eyes that had Leo sweating uncomfortably.

"And you can help us choose! Let's get going!" Mirajane added, she and Erza dragging Leo along towards the shopping district.

"There are much worse ways to go than blood loss from their teasing." Leo muttered to himself as he let the two women drag him along, thinking about the kind of 'clothing' that they would want him to help them choose.

* * *

"We're leaving now master!" Leo informed as he, Mirajane and Erza were dressed, packed and ready to catch the train to Akane resort.

The weekend had rolled around and Makarov had agreed to give his three S-Class Mages time for a getaway to the resort. Their desire to experience what the resort had to offer was only increased when Lucy, Natsu and Gray had returned from the resort yesterday telling them of all the fun they had. Although Lucy admitted that it was unlikely that they would be going back there anytime soon. Natsu had been banned from the casino for damaging several of their machines while Gray had been banned from the beach for inappropriately stripping.

"Have fun you three! And make sure not to do anything I wouldn't do!" Makarov responded.

"You'd better keep yourself under control and not give Lisanna unnecessary trouble." Mirajane warned Makarov.

"And the guild should be more complete when we return than it currently is. At the very least it shouldn't be in a worse condition!" Erza threatened the rest of the guild, knowing that they were likely to get into ridiculous brawls that could go out of control with the three of them gone.

"Let's get going! Our train leaves in 30!" Leo shouted, pulling his two girlfriends along with him towards the train station.

They got their luggage stored away and headed for their private compartment. Leo was sat in the middle with Mirajane and Erza on either side of him, their heads leaning against his shoulders. His arms were wrapped around their waists, holding them securely to him as he let their individual scents and warmth pervade his senses. It didn't take long for all three of them to drift into a peaceful slumber, each dreaming of very different things they could do at the resort.

* * *

The entire journey to the resort took around 4 hours and once they had checked themselves into their room, they proceeded to hit the beach. Leo had to wipe the blood pouring from his nose when he saw what Mirajane and Erza were wearing to the beach. Both wore two-piece string bikinis that left little to the imagination. Erza's was black, contrasting well with her hair and gave her a seductive air. Mirajane's was white and had a much more innocent vibe.

Their time at the beach began with the two women taking the time to tan in the warm sun as they had arrived in the afternoon. Leo had enjoyed running his hands all over his girlfriends' bodies to help them get lotion on. After around an hour of just lazing around, they went swimming in the clear waters of the beach. The swim quickly devolved into a water fight where both women ganged up against Leo.

After having fun in the water, Leo got a float that allowed all three of them to lounge around on the water, the three of them sticking very close together in order to fit on a single one. Following that, they had fun playing a game of beach volleyball, playing as a team of three against other guests at the resort. Seeing as they had tried all there was to do on the beach, the three decided to continue lounging on the beach as they watched the sun start to set.

"This is nice. We haven't spent time like this outside of whenever we sneak extra time during missions." Erza remarked, leaning her head against Leo's shoulder. They were currently seated on three lounge chairs that were placed side by side allowing the three to lay down together. Leo was in the middle with Mirajane on his left and Erza on his right. Both women were surprised when Leo sat up and turned around to face them.

"Is something wrong Leo?" Mirajane asked as she and Erza sat up as well. Leo took a deep breath, preparing his words. He took one of their hands in his own, staring deeply into their eyes before speaking.

"Erza, Mira, we've been together for over a year now and have been living together for 5 months. This past year has honestly been the happiest year in my entire life. I can't even understand how I was content with my life before. And I can't imagine living my life without the both of you in it." Leo said, pausing for a moment as he gauged both of their reactions before continuing.

"Erza, you are an amazing woman. Despite how harsh you may seem you care deeply about all of your friends and would do anything to keep them safe. You have the some of the cutest reactions to things and your eyes convey a sense of warmth that makes me tingle every time I look at you. Seeing you smile never fails to brighten up my day." Leo continued, looking intently at Erza. He then looked at Mirajane before speaking.

"Mira, you have changed a great deal since that incident. The sweet loving Mira that cares deeply for all her friends and the seductive Mirajane that loves to make me squirm. Both of them make my heart soar in ways that I cannot explain. Having you near me always makes me feel like everything will turn out fine no matter what is going on." Leo said. He then looked at both women once again. He let go of their hands, a faint glow indicating his use of Requip magic.

"What I'm trying to say is that, I want to spend the rest of my life with the both of you. To continue making wonderful memories together as more than what we currently are. Mira, Erza, will you make me the happiest man in all Earthland and Marry Me?" Leo asked, revealing two ornate ring boxes to them.

Erza's had a gold ring that had a round ruby in its center and little diamond surrounding it. Mirajane's ring had was a beautiful silver band with a diamond as its centerpiece. Both girls were silent and seemed to be shaking. For a moment, Leo wondered if he had messed up. His fears were completely removed when first Mirajane and then Erza pulled him into a searing kiss.

"Yes. I will marry you." Both of them said at the same time as Leo recovered from their lip lock. Leo had a smile that threatened to split his face. He used Requip magic to send the ring boxes away before using magic again to get the rings on their fingers. Both girls studied their hands carefully, scrutinizing their individual rings with bright smiles.

"A sunset proposal. Such a romantic." Erza said, wrapping her arms around Leo and pulling herself to his left side, letting her head rest on his shoulder.

"Indeed. Such a sweet man. Aren't we just lucky? I think this deserves a reward." Mirajane stated, mirroring Erza's actions on Leo's right side.

Both Erza and Mirajane gave his earlobe a lick, causing him to shudder. They separated from him, pulling him along back to their hotel room. When they got back, they immediately tackled him onto the bed, their bodies becoming a tangle of limbs as their clothes were flung away, their pleasured moans and groans filling the suite.

* * *

"Watching you two suck face with each other is always so hot." Leo muttered as he brought Erza and Mirajane closer to him. He was lying flat on the bed with both women on either side of him, their heads resting against his chest. His hands were playing with their hair as their bodies glowed with a light sheen of sweat from their previous activities.

"We know you like it. I didn't think I'd be so open to it at first. But if it's Erza I don't mind." Mirajane admitted, snuggling deeper into Leo's warmth.

"Agreed. I love how you react when we do it. Always gets you so worked up." Erza added.

"Should we grab some dinner and see what their casino has to offer?" Leo asked.

"Never imagined you'd be one to suggest gambling." Erza remarked.

"Well Lucy did mention that it was a pretty good casino. So, I want to at least take a look." Leo explained.

"How about we rest for a bit before we grab some dinner or supper then we hit the casino? From what I saw its open all night. I don't know about you two but I'm a little tired from earlier." Mirajane said.

"Ah, I apologize." Leo muttered, gaining a deep blush as he recalled their intense activities.

"Don't be. We kept goading you on after all. And you always leave us feeling so satisfied. We can think of what to do when we get up." Erza responded, her eyes fluttering as she felt exhaustion start to set in. Leo's slowing heartbeat was lulling both her and Mirajane to sleep.

"Sleep tight you two." Leo said softly, placing a soft kiss on both of their heads as they were already halfway to dreamland. Both women muttered a response. Leo smiled before letting sleep claim him.

* * *

"So, what's the plan?" Erza asked as she stepped out of the bathroom and requipped into her dress for the evening.

The three had fallen asleep for about an hour and a half. Night had fallen and while initially tempted to take another tumble in the sheets, their protesting stomachs had pointed them towards other courses of actions. It was with much reluctance that they got out of bed and got ready to have a meal at the resort's famous restaurant. They had opted to take turns using the shower, knowing that they wouldn't leave the room if they went in together. Mirajane had gone first, seeing as she needed the longest to get changed into her evening dress. Erza was the last to go, opting to laze around on the bed for a little longer.

"That is so unfair. Sometimes I get so jealous of both of you being able to requip into clothes. Do you mind Leo?" Mirajane said, getting Leo to help her zip up her dress.

"Sorry Love. But I will admit, there is still a certain charm to getting ready the old-fashioned way." Leo admitted.

"Alright, I'm ready. Let's get going." Mirajane said, standing up from the dresser.

"Both of you look amazing." Leo commented, drinking in the sight of both of his fiancées.

Erza was dressed in a beautiful purple evening gown that had red floral patterns on it. The dress emphasized her curves well and accentuated her red hair which was done up in a bun. A slit on the right side allowed for movement and a tantalizing amount of her leg to be seen. White gloves that went up to her biceps completed her look. Mirajane was dressed in a black gown that highlighted her curves. She left her hair long and flowing and just like Erza, she had white gloves that went up to her biceps as well.

"Why thank you good sir. You look very handsome yourself." Mirajane responded. Leo was dressed in a simple black suit with a black bowtie and a white shirt underneath.

"Yes, you are certainly dashing dear." Erza added. Mirajane wrapped her left arm around Leo's right while Erza wrapped her right arm around Leo's left. The two of them allowed him to lead the way out of the room.

"For tonight, we will be having a wonderful evening starting off with a dinner under the moon and stars. And after that we shall relax ourselves with the entertainment from the casino." Leo said dramatically, getting both women to giggle at his antics as they continued making their way towards dinner, drawing attention from the other guests of the resort along the way.

Leo had not been joking when he said they would be having a moonlit dinner under the stars. He had somehow managed to reserve a table in the outdoor area of the restaurant without either Erza or Mirajane finding out. They had a wonderful dinner with Mirajane and Erza taking turns to feed Leo their food and Leo doing the same to the two of them. As their entrées were cleared and desert came, they started to talk about their wedding.

"When should we have the wedding?" Erza asked.

"When would the two of you like to have the wedding? I mean, I feel like I'm the lucky one here, living out every man's fantasy of marrying two of the most beautiful women he's ever met. Both of whom he is crazily in love with and who love him equally as much in return." Leo responded.

"Such a charmer. I think we should have a wedding in fall. Maybe a week or two after the Fantasia parade. The new guild hall should be completed soon and we can use it as the wedding venue." Mirajane suggested.

"That gives us enough time to get everything together for the wedding. We can probably work wedding preparation into the work for the Fantasia parade. Having it then will also give us enough time to have a honeymoon before the S-Class trials." Erza added. From there the two women started discussing details about the wedding ranging from how big they wanted it to be, the guests they wanted to invite and the décor and food for the event. Throughout the conversation, Leo simply smiled, enjoying the warm smiles on both of their faces.

"I think it's about time to go. We can head back to the room to keep talking about the wedding if you two don't feel like taking a look at the casino." Leo suggested. It was getting late and he felt like it was about time they left the restaurant.

"I think we should. It's not everyday we get to visit Akane resort." Mirajane said.

"Besides, if we go today and find out we don't like it, we can spend the next two nights doing other things." Erza added. What she was implying wasn't lost on either Leo or Mirajane. Leo got up from his seat, helping both Mirajane and Erza up from their seats before guiding them towards the casino with an arm around each of their waists.

"This actually seems pretty good. I'm going over to the roulette table." Mirajane said, impressed by the Casino.

"I'll go try out a few rounds of poker." Erza said.

"I'll be giving the slot machines a spin." Leo informed, giving both women a kiss before they separated.

Leo made his way over to the slot machines, taking a look at them for a moment. He took a seat and began to play. After a couple rounds, he got bored of it and decided to get a drink. Leo turned around and got up to go the bar.

"So, you are Leo Titus." A tall man said as he approached Leo.

Most of the man's upper body was left exposed with a large cloth passing over his left shoulder and going down below his waist before being tied off by a sash. He wore a pair of dark, loose fitting pants. But his most prominent features were the eyepatch over his left eye, the metal around his jaw and his headgear that resembled a turban. Leo was immediately on guard by the man's presence.

"Can I help you with anything? I don't believe we've ever met before." Leo asked with a raised brow.

"I'm afraid that I cannot allow you to interfere with our mission to retrieve Erza Scarlet. Dark Moment!" The man said, bringing his hands together and causing the surrounding area to turn dark, obscuring Leo's vision. Before the man could strike however, he felt his arm getting shredded, affecting his concentration and causing him to drop the spell. It revealed Leo standing in front of him with a bladeless hilt in his hand.

"I don't know who you are or where you come from. But you will tell me why you are after Erza. Willingly or not. And I suggest not trying anything funny. My blades will shred you before you can even release your next breath." Leo warned. He wasn't in the mood for games. Especially not when this man was a threat to one of the two most important people in his life.

"You are as strong as Jellal warned us. Perhaps you can help free us. It is wonderful to know that Erza has someone that can look after her. I am Simon. I was once a friend of Erza. I would like to think that I still am. We were fellow slaves at the tower of heaven. Jellal has sent us here to retrieve her for the purpose of sacrificing her for the R-System." Simon said. Before he could continue speaking, the sound of a gunshot rang throughout the casino.

"What was that?" Leo wondered aloud, his blood going cold as he thought something had happened to Erza.

"That was my comrade Wally. He encountered your friend Mirajane and is facing trouble. He has asked for my assistance in dealing with her." Simon answered.

"If you really want my help then you will take me to find your friends now and stop them from doing anything that they will come to regret later on." Leo threatened.

"Wally is this way." Simon said, pointing in the direction of the roulette machines and running towards them.

"And if you even think about trying anything funny, my blades are still around you." Leo warned, following after Simon.

* * *

"I think I might go find Leo or Erza and see what they are up to. This is getting pretty boring." Mirajane remarked as she failed to guess the correct number on the roulette for the third time now after her initial winning streak. The entire casino turned dark for a moment before it returned to normal, causing Mirajane to wonder what was going on.

"Mirajane Strauss." A man's voice called out. Mirajane turned around and saw a man whose body was shaped like blocks. He was dressed in a royal blue suit with a white collared shirt and a red tie.

"Do I know you? Are you a fan looking for an autograph?" Mirajane asked. She honestly wondered at times why she had agreed to do the modelling thing. The fame was a pretty unwanted downside that she hated dealing with. Oh wait, watching Leo squirm every time she dragged him along for shoots or when she showed him the pictures before publication was always worth it.

"I am just a simple dandy man. But unfortunately for you, I can't have you interfering with our mission regarding Erza Scarlet. So, I'm going to need you to roll over and die! Polygon Sphere" the man said. Mirajane's eyes widened at the threat at the end. The man's lower body transformed into tiny blocks that flew towards Mirajane, grabbing onto her wrists and preventing her from moving.

"Why are you after Erza?" Mirajane questioned.

"I'm surprised you are more concerned about her than yourself given your current situation. But such information won't be useful to someone who is dead." The man responded, holding up a gun that extended right to Mirajane's head, causing her eyes to widen.

Mirajane refused to give in however, glaring at the man as she released her magic. She activated her Satan Soul, breaking free of her restraints. She didn't give her attacker any time to react as she slammed him into the ground. She kept him pinned to the floor by the head using her left arm while her right arm was charging up with magic.

"Talk! What do you want with Erza?" Mirajane questioned.

"Mira! Stop!" Leo said as he and Simon ran towards her.

"Leo? Do you know what is going on? This guy tried to take my head off." Mirajane asked.

"Simon here will explain everything later. We need to find Erza quickly!" Leo responded.

"But what about blocky?" Mirajane asked, pointing towards the man that she still had pinned.

"Bring him along. Ethereal Binding Chain." Leo answered, sending a chain made of light that bound the block man. Mirajane then hefted him up like a sack of potatoes while gesturing for Leo to lead the way.

"Simon, what is going on? Why are you helping them?" the block man questioned.

"I will explain things later Wally. We need to stop Milliana and Sho." Simon said, leading the way to where his comrades were, Mirajane and Leo following close behind.

* * *

"I guess today is my lucky day." Erza remarked to herself as she won her third straight round, showing her royal straight flush. She smiled as the dealer handed her the chips for the round.

"Time for a dealer change." A dark-skinned man with blond hair dressed in the same clothes as the rest of the staff said as he approached the table and swapped with the dealer.

"Right now, I feel like I can't lose no matter who I'm up against." Erza remarked confidently.

"If that's the case, why don't we enjoy a special game? Except we won't be betting with money. Let's bet with our lives." The dealer said, handing Erza her five cards that spelt out death.

"It's been a long time, big sister Erza." The dealer added as Erza looked up at him, gaining a shocked and fearful expression on her face.

"Sho…you're safe?" Erza asked, dreading the response she would get from him. The entire casino turned dark for a moment. When everything returned to normal, Shou was not seated at the dealer's area.

"I'm over here big sis." Sho stated, dropping cards around him.

"Those cards…they are the patrons." Erza remarked as she noticed the people that were trapped inside the cards.

"Isn't it strange? I learned how to use magic too." Sho stated with a chuckle.

"What is going on here Sho?" Erza asked. Erza felt ropes go around her body, pulling her to the ground.

"Meow. Super strong right?" A girl with cat like features said, drawing Erza's attention.

"Millianna? You can use magic now too?" Erza asked.

"This is retribution for betraying us!" Sho stated. Before he could speak though, petals appeared around Erza, freeing her from the binds.

"This is Senbonzakura…Leo!" Erza uttered gratefully, her worries being reduced by the thought of his approaching presence.

"Ethereal binding chains!" Leo's voice rang out as Sho and Miliana were bound by the spell, preventing them from moving as the group approached them.

"Simon what are you doing? Why are you betraying us too?" Sho questioned angrily.

"I am doing the right thing and stopping this before it gets out of hand. Jellal has been lying to us all this time. Isn't that right Erza? You didn't actually betray us." Simon answered calmly as Mirajane tossed Wally to the ground and released her Satan Soul transformation.

"Are you a fool? She was the one that took off on her own lifeboat and destroyed the rest! Preventing us from escaping!" Sho countered.

"And yet rather than try and find another way off the island, Jellal put us back to work to complete the tower. The very thing we were trying to stop. Did that not come as odd to you? Even if the boats were gone, we had defeated the Zeref cultists there. We could have spent time looking for a way off the island." Simon responded.

"It is true. When I went to save Jellal during our revolt, he had changed. He attacked me with his magic then exiled me from the tower. He threatened to kill all of you if I ever spoke of this to anyone or if I ever tried to return." Erza said.

"That does make a lot of sense. You've known all this time Simon?" Wally asked.

"I have. I kept it a secret. And for that I apologize." Simon answered.

"Don't be. If Jellal had realized that we had known we'd all be sleeping with the fishes." Millianna said.

"So, all this time we've just been pawns for Jellal all along? We caused big sister so much trouble." Sho muttered.

"I don't blame you Sho. Jellal is the one at fault for using all of you." Erza said, pulling Sho in for a hug to try and comfort him.

"Now that we've all made up, we need to think about what to do next." Leo pointed out.

"We should go to the tower. Put this all to rest for good." Erza responded.

"No! We should run away! Jellal wants to use you as a sacrifice! You going there is exactly what he wants! We are all safe now! We should run away!" Sho protested.

"And for how long will that be? Jellal could send others after us. After all of you. I can't live with that. He needs to be stopped for good. Besides, even if going there is playing into Jellal's hands, I have people with me that I can trust to make sure everything turns out okay." Erza said, looking at Mirajane and Leo with a smile.

"I expected you to go rush in on your own. Glad to see you're willing to let us help." Mirajane stated.

"Not how I expected to spend the rest of our break. But I can't just let a maniac coming after my fiancée with the intent to use her a sacrifice roam free. Wouldn't be doing my job as your future husband." Leo remarked, requipping into his normal clothes. Erza laughed at the remark, standing up and requipping into her Heart Kreuz armor.

"Unfair requip hacks." Mirajane muttered with a blank stare at both Leo and Erza.

* * *

**And that's a wrap for this chapter. It's mostly a filler cutting in from after the Phantom Lord Arc and then going into the beginning of the Tower of Heaven Arc. Next Chapter will see the completion of this Arc and it will go very differently given the very different mindset and caliber of wizards going there. Still undecided on what I want to do with Jellal though.**


	5. The Resolve to Overcome Heaven

Chapter 5

"Jellal, it appears there has been a complication. The team you sent has betrayed us. However, it seems that they are coming here together with Erza Scarlet, Leo Titus and Mirajane Strauss." A long-haired man said to a hooded man with blue hair that was seated on a throne.

"Oh, then their betrayal makes no difference in the end. They are still fulfilling the task I require of them by bringing Erza Scarlet here." Jellal remarked.

"But what about her other two companions? Also, wouldn't it be easier to have Erza simply eliminated? It shouldn't be a difficult task with the power at your disposal." The man asked.

"The tower of heaven is finally completed. It is time to achieve the paradise that I have been promised. Erza Scarlet will be a fitting sacrifice to activate the R-System. And as for her two companions, they will be participants in the game of heaven, with their lives on the line. Surely you are not afraid of them, Vidaldus?" Jellal responded.

"Of course not. We are the elite trio of assassins from Death's Head Caucus!" Vidaldus proclaimed, his appearance changing to resemble an extreme metal musician with extremely pale skin and dark make-up around his eyes and lips. Next too him two more people appeared. One was a man that whose head was like an owl. The second was a woman with pink hair dressed in a Kimono.

"Fukuro of Trinity Raven. They shall taste the might of justice!" Fukuro, the owl man announced.

"Ikaruga, leader of Trinity Raven. Perhaps it is the fate of both love and life to scatter on the wind. Tonight, shall be a festival." Ikaruga, the pink haired woman, said.

"Let's see which one of us will emerge from this. Will it be you three, Titania, She-Devil and Unmatched Monster or will it be me, the chosen of Zeref? I eagerly await the commencement of our game of heaven!" Jellal said, letting out a haunting laughter with his declaration.

* * *

"Are you sure it was wise to use their own boat to get to the tower?" Mirajane asked Leo who was standing on the deck with her staring into the distance.

After taking an hour to get prepared, the group boarded the ship that had been used by Simon, Sho, Wally and Millianna to get to the resort. They were currently heading towards the tower of heaven and Erza was below deck, taking the time to speak with her old friends.

"No, it wasn't. He probably already knows that we are coming. But we had no other options. Flying there would be impossible. And commandeering another ship would draw to much attention." Leo responded. He noticed Erza approach them, looking nervously at Mirajane.

"I'm sorry you had to find out about my past like this. And for it to interrupt such a happy occasion too." Erza said sadly. She was surprised when Mirajane hugged her tightly.

"Don't worry about any of that. Your past is your story to tell. I'm not mad that you didn't share it with me. And think of it this way, you can finally bury your past before you move on to the next stage of your life which will be filled with happiness and warmth." Mirajane said. Leo joined the hug, wrapping his arms around both women.

"Whatever happens, we will make it through this together. After all, we have to go back and get married right?" Leo reminded, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yes, after this, we can go back and start planning the happiest day in our lives. I promise that I won't let my personal feelings and past attachment to Jellal get in the way of stopping him. For the sake of all our happiness." Erza said resolutely.

"Don't sacrifice the good memories that you used to have of Jellal, Erza. Use them to knock some sense into him instead. So long as you let us help you and watch your back, we will support you in any decision you make." Leo assured, kissing the top of her head. The three turned as the visage of the tower became visible.

* * *

"We have received word that there is still a tower with the R-System in existence." One of the council members brought up during an emergency meeting.

"What? But How? I thought they had all been destroyed?" Michaelo questioned.

"It's the tower of heaven that's under the control of my twin brother Jellal. I never thought that he would go on to complete it. His imprisonment by the Zeref cultists must have driven him insane." Siegrain answered.

"It doesn't matter who controls it. The R-System is something that has been banned since ancient times. It must be destroyed." Ultear stated.

"Agreed. We should deploy our army to destroy it immediately!" Belno suggested. The attention of the council members who were bickering over the course of action was drawn to Siegrain when he slammed his hand against the table.

"Sending in the army would only doom innocent people to death at that tower. We must show that we will not tolerate the existence of the R-System by carrying a swift and decisive action. We must use Etherion!" Siegrain stated, causing the rest of the council to mutter in shock.

"But Etherion is magic that transcends space and time. Its power can destroy entire nations. To use it would cause untold destruction on the area. There is a good chance that we will affect those near the area!" Org pointed out.

"But Etherion will allow us to precisely target the tower and eliminate all traces of the R-System. There are nine of us here. Five votes are needed before Etherion can be used. I choose to put my vote for that course of action." Siegrain declared.

"I agree with Siegrain. My vote is to use Etherion." Ultear stated.

"I have to concur and throw my vote for using Etherion. It is a sound justification and will ensure that such dark tools are properly eradicated." Reiji said, much to the shock of the other council members.

"I urge you council members. My brother was not the same since his encounter with the Zeref cultists in our youth. I fear he may have been tainted by the tortures he experienced and has chosen to walk that same dark path they did. It is highly possible he intends to revive Zeref using the R-System. Can you truly live with the knowledge that we could have stopped him if he succeeds?" Siegrain implored.

"Siegrain makes a strong point. I will give my vote in support of firing Etherion." Belno said.

"All we need is one more vote and we can end the threat of the R-System for good." Siegrain pleaded. The rest of the council members who had yet to vote were silent, thinking over the implications of such a course of action.

"I have decided to vote in favor for firing the Etherion." Michaelo said.

"With that the motion to fire Etherion is to be carried out. We should make immediate preparations. It will take an hour for us to deploy Etherion. With this, the terror posed by the R-System will be put to rest for good!" Siegrain declared with much relief. Of the council members who abstained, Yajima was the most uncomfortable, requesting for a moment to gather his thoughts as the rest of the council members started preparations for the firing of Etherion.

* * *

"Where would Jellal be?" Leo asked Simon.

The group had finally arrived at the Tower of Heaven and after easily clearing out the guards stationed at the base of the tower, made it to a big room. Simon had explained that this room served as sort of a common area, linking their different living quarters. Before Simon could reply Leo's question, several mouths appeared on the walls of the room.

"Welcome to the tower of heaven. Why don't we play a game? With all of your lives as the stakes. I win if I am able to sacrifice Erza Scarlet to revive Zeref. You win if you can stop me. It will be seven of you against me and three others! And to make things even more interesting, the magic council has moved to fire Etherion on this tower! In one hour, we will all be judged by the light of the magic council! Let the Game of Heaven commence!" Jellal declared. The mouths disappeared, leaving the group to their thoughts.

"No way. We need to get out of here! If they're going to fire Etherion here then this tower is done for anyway!" Sho said.

"We need to move. Sho, Wally and Millianna will stay here. Have the boat ready to leave. Simon, you're coming with us. You can keep us in contact with your magic." Leo ordered.

"Is he really serious about the firing of Etherion?" Erza asked.

"He probably is. But something is up with this tower. Why spend so much effort and yet be happy knowing that the council is about to destroy all his work? Whatever the truth is it doesn't matter. All that matters, is stopping him." Leo replied.

"Why should we stay behind while you fight? We can help to." Millianna questioned.

"You three are welcome to come along if you wish. Having the boat ready to leave will provide us an exit strategy that doesn't involve getting tossed out of the tower and hoping we can swim to land from wherever it is we land." Leo answered blankly.

"Point taken." Millianna said. Sho tried to trap Erza in a card, thinking that it would keep her safe but Leo stopped him before he could act.

"Trapping Erza in a card isn't helping. This is her past to bury. Just rest and leave this to us." Leo said, using a strong pulse of sleep magic to put Sho to sleep, handing him off to Wally.

"We should get going. We're wasting time standing here." Mirajane pointed out.

"Go. Just make sure to come back in one piece." Wally said. Mirajane, Erza, Leo and Simon nodded and made their way through the tower, coming to a large room where someone was waiting for them.

"Go on ahead. I'll take this guy." Mirajane said.

"Be careful." Leo responded before leading the way to the exit.

"I am Vidaldus, a member of Trinity Raven from the dark guild Death's Head Caucus." Vidaldus introduced himself.

"I guess there's no reason for me to hold back then. Since you are an assassin." Mirajane said softly as she transformed into her Satan Soul.

"So, this is the power of Fairy Tail's She-Devil. It is certainly amazing. And one I will enjoy having under my control! Succubus Rock!" Vidaldus shouted, using magic through his guitar to produce a song.

"Mental control magic? Unfortunately for you, the difference in our magic powers makes such a spell useless. And I don't have time to waste on the likes of you." Mirajane stated coldly, grabbing a shocked Vidaldus by the head and slamming him against the wall. She took two steps back and fired a blast of darkness at him. After ensuring that her opponent was down, she released her Satan Soul and started rushing towards the exit to catch up with the others.

* * *

"Will she be okay on her own?" Simon asked as they left Mirajane behind.

"Don't underestimate Mira. She's just as strong as I am. I trust her." Erza responded. As they continued to ascend the tower, they eventually reached a large room that had several floating platforms. On one of the platforms, a man with a head that looked like an owl's was waiting for them.

"Erza, you go on ahead. Me and Simon will catch up." Leo said. Erza nodded and leapt from platform to platform to reach the exit, giving one last look to Leo before leaving.

"I am Fukuro of Trinity Raven from Death's Head Caucus." Fukuro introduced.

"The dark guild that deals with mainly with assassinations? Can't say I've ever had the unfortunate pleasure of running into any of you before." Leo remarked.

"This is the first and last time for you Leo Titus! Your head will fetch me a nice bounty! Justice Ho Ho Hou!" Fukuro shouted, firing a blast of energy at both Simon and Leo.

"Awaken, Benihime. Scream, Benihime." Leo muttered softly, summoning his blade and firing of a burst of crimson energy to counter Fukuro's attack.

"If I can't get you long range then let's try close range! Jet Ho Ho Hou!" Fukuro shouted, firing up the jetpack attached to his back and charging at Leo.

"I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now. Bind, Benihime." Leo growled out, side stepping Fukuro's charge as a tangible blood red net erupted from his sword. He used the net to trap Fukuro, pinning him to the ground.

"What the heck is this? I can't move." Fukuro said, struggling against the net.

"Fire-Playing Beaded Mesh, Benihime." Leo muttered, stabbing his blade into the net, causing orbs to appear on the outside edge of the net. The orbs started to explode one after the other in a domino formation before finally engulfing Fukuro in a large explosion that shook the tower. When the explosion died down, a badly injured Fukuro in a smoking crater was revealed.

"Now that the annoyance is dealt with, I can figure out what Jellal is up to." Leo said to himself.

"He dealt with that assassin from the dark guild so easily…Jellal wouldn't hire weaklings given our numerical advantage. Just how strong is he?" Simon muttered to himself as Leo started leaping across the floating platforms to exit the room, reaching the path that would take them further up the tower. However, instead of continuing, Leo stopped moving and started scrutinizing the wall.

"Should we not keep moving to catch up to Erza?" Simon asked.

"I have no doubt Erza will be fine for now. Etherion is about to hit this tower in under 30 minutes. Jellal wouldn't be so calm about it if it was going to destroy everything he worked for. Which means that he has either expected it to happen and has made preparations for it or he wants this to happen." Leo responded.

"Is it even possible to block something like Etherion?" Simon asked.

"Possible yes. But extremely difficult to do so. Satellite Square Etherion contains a very high level of magical energy. Enough to level an entire nation. More than that it contains a mix of different elements and its property is matter reduction. But even if Jellal did manage to devise a way to block Etherion, he sounded almost gleeful when he told us it was going to fire. That makes it seem more like he wants it to happen." Leo explained.

"Leo!" Mirajane shouted, getting Leo's attention as she caught up with them.

"Oh, Mira. Glad you managed to catch up." Leo said, moving up to Mirajane and giving her a hug, checking her over for any injuries.

"Was your opponent someone from Death's Head Caucus as well?" Simon asked.

"He was. A member of their Trinity Raven in fact. But he wasn't much. Tried to use mind control magic on me but that didn't work. I just slammed him against the wall and blasted him with my magic for good measure." Mirajane responded.

"I think I may have figured out what Jellal is planning!" Leo suddenly shouted.

"And what would that be?" Mirajane asked, giggling a little at the familiar glint that Leo got whenever he figured out what his opponent was up to.

"Just a theory. I need to test it out. Please stand back." Leo said, getting Mirajane and Simon to take a few steps away from him. He charged up magic in his right hand, condensing it into a tiny orb before throwing it against the wall. There was a bright light when it hit the wall and when the light was gone, the wall had turned into a crystal.

"Is that a lacrima?" Mirajane questioned, studying the crystal carefully.

"It is. This entire tower is one giant empty lacrima." Leo responded.

"That means Etherion will end up charging it up. Not destroying it like the council thinks. Can we do something about it?" Mirajane asked.

"Not with the limited amount of time that we have now. Simon, you need to get to back to the others. Tell them to get on the boat and leave on it. Wait a safe distance away from the tower so that we can fly to it once we are done with Jellal." Leo ordered. Simon nodded and went back to inform the rest of his friends of the plan. Leo sat down on the floor, pulling pen and paper and writing on it.

"What are you doing? I thought you said there was no way to stop Jellal from harnessing the power of Etherion to charge the tower?" Mirajane asked, noting the complex calculations that Leo was making.

"I just wanted to confirm a feeling I had. And I'm right. This tower will indeed hold Etherion's power but it needs someone to stabilize it." Leo responded.

"That someone being Erza if Jellal gets his way, right? Which isn't going to happen…so, oh no…" Mirajane began then realized what Leo had figured out.

"We are going to end up on a giant bomb that will explode with equal force to Etherion but without any control mechanisms. We need to deal with that first before we can go help Erza." Leo said, finishing what she was trying to say.

"How are we planning to contain the explosion? The only safe way for that much power to dissipate would be upwards. But it would be suicide to try and hold up a spell to try and direct the energy." Mirajane pointed out.

"Which is why we aren't going to do it. A barrier works by absorbing or redirecting energy. By using that same concept, we can apply barriers around the tower that will activate when it explodes. But to create a barrier that can contain all that power would take us quite some time." Leo said as he started drawing out magic formulas on pieces of paper.

"How many of these do we need to apply?" Mirajane asked, picking up the papers.

"My estimate would be 240 of these seals in order to be safe." Leo said as he kept drawing.

"You keep drawing the formulas. I'll get started on applying them. Any particular area I should focus on?" Mirajane asked, picking up the stack of formulas that had already been completed.

"Try and space them out somewhat evenly. But as long as they surround the tower they should work." Leo answered continuing to work on drawing more formulas. Mirajane nodded and transformed into her Satan Soul, blowing a hole in the wall before taking to the air and getting to work.

* * *

"Who are you?" Erza asked as she entered a room that had wooden flooring, Sakura trees and Torii gates inside it.

"I am Ikaruga. Leader of Trinity Raven from Death's Head Caucus. It must be fate for us to clash blades, Titania." Ikaruga remarked with a cold smile.

"Out of my way! I'm here to stop Jellal!" Erza shouted, requipping two swords and charging straight at Ikaruga. Ikaruga smirked and jumped out of the way.

"I do hope that this isn't the limit of your power." Ikaruga taunted before Erza's armor fell apart, leaving her in her blue skirt and the leotard she wore underneath her normal armor.

"How? I didn't even see you move." Erza muttered, panting from the gashes that Ikaruga had left on her body.

"You may be skilled but you don't stand a chance against me." Ikaruga said.

"You are my enemy and I will defeat you! I always do!" Erza declared, requipping into her Heaven's Wheel Armor.

"I'd like to see you try." Ikaruga challenged, her hand resting against the hilt of her katana.

"Heaven's Wheel, Circle Sword!" Erza shouted, taking to the air and summoning several blades that spun around her. She sent the blades at Ikaruga who was unfazed by the assault.

"Yasha's Empty Flash." Ikaruga said softly, destroying the blades that were coming towards her. The destroyed blades fell to the ground harmlessly around her as Erza landed on the ground. Erza could barely believe it when her armor was shattered again, causing her to scream as she felt the effects of Ikaruga's skin on her body.

"Garuda Flame." Ikaruga announced, sending out a burst of fire with her slash at Erza. Erza quickly requipped into her Flame Empress armor, crossing her arms in front of her to shield herself from the attack.

"Ah, the Flame Empress Armor. It is supposed to be highly flame resistant." Ikaruga remarked. Erza was shocked when her Flame Empress Armor also shattered.

"I suggest you requip into your strongest armor." Ikaruga taunted.

"Purgatory Armor! You will regret your arrogance! No one, aside from Leo, who has seen this armor has lived to talk about it!" Erza shouted requipping into her strongest armor, summoning a large club like sword that she slammed into the ground in front of her.

"This is your strongest armor? Let's test its limits." Ikaruga said.

Erza charged forward, slamming her club into the ground and causing a great deal of damage to the room. Ikaruga leapt back to avoid her attacks, dodging nimbly as Erza kept trying to hit her. Erza relentlessly chased after Ikaruga, swinging her massive weapon with the intent to leave her opponent as nothing more than a smear on the floor. On one of her attacks, Ikaruga took advantage of Erza's weapon being lodged in the floor to use it as a springboard to leap and attack Erza. Her attack caused Erza to fall to one knee in exhaustion and pain as her armor shattered.

"Why can't I hit her? Why am I so weak?" Erza muttered to herself.

"It seems that your focus on Jellal has affecting your skills. You are no better than a fledgling." Ikaruga remarked.

"She's right. I've let myself be swallowed up by stopping Jellal." Erza thought to herself before recalling Leo's words to her on the importance of resolve in battle. She stood up once again and requipped. She was now dressed in a pair of red hakama pants that had flame patterns on the bottom. Her chest was covered by wrappings and she held a single katana in both hands.

"It seems all the wounds must be impacting your thinking. To face me without armor. It is unfortunate but I will finish you off now and deliver your body to Jellal." Ikaruga said, standing in a ready stance.

"When I dodge, I won't let them hit me!" Erza shouted, echoing Leo's words to her a long time ago as she avoided Ikaruga's first attack, much to the swordswoman's shock.

"When I defend, I will stop their attack!" Erza shouted, blocking Ikaruga's second attack with her sword.

"And when I attack, I will defeat my opponent!" Erza finished, pushing back Ikaruga's strike and creating an opening that allowed her to deliver a slash to Ikaruga that went from her left hip to her right shoulder. Ikaruga fell face first to the ground, Erza watching her body go limp for a moment before she carried on ascending the tower to reach Jellal. She reached the top of the tower and entered the room where Jellal was still seated on his throne, smirking at her as she entered.

"The guest of honor finally makes her appearance! I don't know whether to be disappointed that Trinity Raven was taken out so easily or to be impressed by the fact that Leo Titus and Mirajane Strauss are every bit as formidable as their reputations make them out to be." Jellal said, tossing aside pieces from the chessboard in front of him that resembled the members of Trinity Raven.

"Enough of your games Jellal! I will not allow you to play with anyone else's life any longer!" Erza declared, cutting the chessboard in half.

"Etherion will come down in five minutes. I wonder if you can stop me and evacuate the tower before then?" Jellal challenged, his hand glowing with a sinister purple energy.

Jellal created several tendrils of dark energy that went after Erza. Erza countered by cutting the tendrils to pieces with her sword. She then charged forward, aiming to try and cut Jellal from his to shoulder, only for him to stop the attack by catching her wrist. He then raised his free hand and tried to blast her with magic, but she was able to react quickly enough to dodge the attack. Erza recovered from dodging the blast, watching carefully as Jellal created a ball of dark energy before crushing it in his hand. She was shocked when several tendrils appeared beneath her, trapping her inside a large orb shaped prison of dark energy.

"You are no match for me." Jellal taunted. Erza focused her magic into her sword, using it to cut herself free of the trap. Before Jellal could react, she rushed at him, managing to cut him across his abdomen. She approached the downed Jellal, pointing her sword at his throat.

"It's over Jellal." Erza said.

"Oh no it isn't! Etherion is here!" Jellal cheered as the entire tower was enveloped by a bright blue light. When the light faded, it was revealed that the tower was in fact a giant lacrima. Erza was distracted for a moment, allowing Jellal to kick her in the side. She was able to roll and recover quickly.

"This is the true form of the R-System. A giant lacrima that will provide the necessary power to revive lord Zeref. All it needs now is its sacrifice to function. You. I honestly expected you to have been in more of a panic about Etherion. Were you that prepared to die?" Jellal asked, the two of them circling around each other, preparing to react to any attack.

"I have a lot to live for. There is no way I'm going to die here. But I've been researching about the tower. It requires a great deal of magic energy to activate the R-System. I suspected you wanted Etherion for that reason even if I didn't know how you intended to use it. I never expected it to turn out to be a giant lacrima." Erza answered.

"Your expression is priceless, Erza." Another voice said, gaining Erza's attention.

"Siegrain! What are you doing here?" Erza questioned as she glared at him. Siegrain calmly walked past her.

"This reminds me of when we first met years ago. Do you remember?" Siegrain asked as he stopped next to Jellal.

"You were at the Magic Council with Makarov to submit a written apology for destruction of property." Jellal stated.

"She attacked me out of nowhere. She must have mistaken me for you." Siegrain added.

"I can't say I blame her. After all we do look alike." Jellal said.

"You refused to let up until I confessed that I was his twin. But you were hostile towards me ever since then." Siegrain said.

"What did you expect? If you truly cared about your brother you would have tried to stop him instead of helping him cover his tracks. And I know you've been spying on me and reporting back to him!" Erza retorted.

"Is that so?" Jellal asked.

"A mistake on my part. In retrospect, perhaps I should have said something that would have convinced you that I was going to find Jellal and kill him. But my biggest mistake was running into you in the first place. Especially after the trouble I went through to become a council member." Siegrain responded.

"There's nothing worse than having to come up with excuses on the spot." Jellal added.

"I get it. The two of you have been conspiring this whole time." Erza remarked.

"Conspiring?" Jellal said.

"Not exactly." Siegrain countered.

"I'm afraid it's more complicated than that." Jellal added.

"We are not twins but two faces of the same person. And we have been from the very start." Jellal and Siegrain said together before Siegrain became translucent and walked into Jellal. Jellal's body glowed as his magic power increased.

"But how? He was just a projection all this time?" Erza questioned in shock.

"You never suspected for a moment that we were one in the same." Jellal responded.

"You wormed your way into the council just to fire Etherion! You are despicable!" Erza growled before getting blasted backwards by Jellal.

"Someone looks a little worse for wear. Don't tell me you wasted all your magical energy fighting against Ikaruga?" Jellal taunted.

"Jellal! You're through!" Erza shouted, summoning a large sword before charging at Jellal.

Jellal easily dodged her first attack by deflecting the path of her blade with a small burst of magic. Erza summoned another large sword, swinging both at Jellal who was able to dodge both her strikes and the kick she had tried to hit him with. She continued moving in an arc, attempting to catch Jellal with her attack only for him to leap back and let her hit the floor.

"The magic council should be nothing more than a pile of rubble right now. I can't tell you what a blessing Ultear has been. I couldn't have done it without her. She has no fear in death. Because she believes that all of mankind will become one in heaven. In fact, she told me she would be more than happy to give up her life so that my dream could come to fruition. I should thank her for being so easy to manipulate." Jellal remarked as he continued to casually dodge Erza's attempts to strike him.

"Damn you! I'm taking revenge for all the people that you've used!" Erza shouted, jumping at him and swinging both of her swords, destroying the area that he had been standing in. Before Erza could continue moving, she felt her arms start to freeze and then her body following suit.

"What's going on? Why can't I move?" Erza questioned.

"It's a simple bind snake that I placed on you when I blocked your attack earlier." Jellal explained as a large piece of lacrima rose up behind you.

"With this, I will achieve paradise! Rejoice for your body will serve as the foundation for Zeref to return to this world!" Jellal declared before pushing Erza into the lacrima, her body slowly getting pulled into it. Erza screamed as she struggled against the binds to free herself. Jellal turned away and smirked, waiting for the signal that the R-System would activate once Erza was absorbed.

"I got you." Leo said as he pulled Erza free of the lacrima, having flown to the top of the tower using the wings of Daiguren Hyorinmaru. He cradled her in his arms as he enlarged his ice wings to wrap around them and cover them from Jellal.

"You came just in time." Erza muttered thankfully, giving a warm smile and raising one hand to cup his cheek after he freed her from the bind snake.

"I always have your back. Do you want to keep fighting?" Leo asked.

"I want to. But my body's a little worse for wear and I'm low on magic power. I don't think I could beat him as I am now." Erza responded. Leo smiled at her, sitting down and placing her head in his lap.

"Don't worry. You should be the one to end it. I'll be right beside you." Leo said, calling Senbonzakura to his hand before placing it in Erza's. Erza felt a rush of energy, her eyes widening at Leo as she could feel her presence in the sword.

"Thank you, Leo." Erza said, standing up and giving him a kiss.

"Now go and beat him." Leo cheered, opening the wings and allowing Erza to slowly walk towards Jellal. Jellal was surprised when rows of glowing pink energy swords formed around him and Erza.

"Some sort of second wind? No matter. I will make sure to take you out for good. Since Leo Titus is here as well, I only need one of you to survive to be a sacrifice!" Jellal informed, throwing off his shirt, revealing a dark blue bodysuit.

"Have a taste of my heavenly body magic! Meteor!" Jellal announced, his body glowing golden with magic energy.

His speed increased greatly, allowing him to leap around Erza in the blink of an eye. Erza remained calm, holding her sword up in a ready stance. Jellal tried to strike her from behind, but Erza was somehow able to sense him coming. This allowed her to counter, using her sword and body to alter the course of Jellal's attack, preventing him from hitting her. Jellal growled, leaping at her once again. She was able to sense him again and dodge his attack by flipping back. As she flipped, she caught him in the chin with her leg, striking him with enough force to stagger him for a moment.

"How are you countering me? You weren't even able to hit me earlier!" Jellal growled in annoyance. Erza wondered that herself. Earlier Jellal had easily been able to read her moves. Now she was able to sense where he was and react accordingly.

"This form of Senbonzakura holds many secrets centering around focus and sense. This form is more dangerous than the initial second release because it concentrates the mass of petals into swords. It makes it easier to cause damage to opponents. Focusing the power of Senbonzakura also bolsters offensive capability. The sword's arrangement serves to create a sensory field, allowing you to constantly detect your opponent and react accordingly." Leo's voice explained.

"You weren't kidding when you said that you would be right beside me. Thank you, Leo." Erza said softly.

"Don't think that you've won! I'll just use more power in my spell!" Jellal declared, increasing his magic output.

His speed increased, catching Erza by surprise. While she was initially able to block both of his strikes at his previous speed, she was now only able to block his first strike. Jellal's second punch had connected with her side, forcing her to go into a roll to dampen the impact and recover. She desired the ability to counter his increased capabilities and was surprised when another sword floated towards her, allowing her to wield two swords at the same time. The change in stance and combat style allowed her to counter Jellal's speed increase. As she continued to leverage using counters as opposed to initiating, she was able to nick Jellal several times, giving him several light cuts on his body. Her attacks had the added effect of annoying Jellal, impacting his composure and causing him to slip up, allowing her to land more strikes.

"Enough of this! This attack hits with the force of a falling comet! See if you can survive it! The seven stars will be your judge, Grand Chariot!" Jellal said.

He jumped into the air and brought his hands together. He had two fingers on his right hand and all five fingers on his left hand extended as he did so. Behind him, seven magic circles formed in the shape of a constellation. The seven circles fired concentrated beams of energy aimed at Erza. Erza crossed the two swords she held in front of her, closing her eyes and preparing for the impact of Jellal's attack. When the light from Jellal's attack faded, Erza was surprised when she was completely unharmed by the attack. Floating in front of her were seven groups of blades. Each group was made up of five individual blades that were crossed together. The swords dissipated into pink petals before reforming back in the formation.

"You blocked my attack? But how?" Jellal growled.

"The swords will always answer your desire, if you will it strongly enough. You willed it to block the attack. And so, they blocked the attack for you when you yourself could not." Leo voice explained to Erza in her head.

"Leo! Erza!" Mirajane said as she landed at the top of the tower next to Leo.

"It's fine. Erza can handle Jellal. We should be prepared to leave once she is done." Leo said. Mirajane nodded and stood watching Erza's battle with Jellal intently.

"None of you will leave! If I can't revive Zeref this round then so be it! I will destroy everything and start over. If I eliminate the three of you here, no one will be able to stop me the next time!" Jellal shouted, crossing his arms above his head and charging a massive amount of magic energy in above him. A dark ball of magic formed in front of Jellal, creating strong winds around it.

"My shadow is bending towards his attack? Jellal you really have gone completely insane!" Erza shouted.

"If he intends to end it then you should to. Do not fear his attack. Focus on your desire to end the battle. Communicate your wish to cut down Jellal and his attack to the sword." Leo said to Erza in her mind.

Erza focused, letting go of one of the swords and holding the remaining one with both hands in front of her. The swords around her turned into pink particles, moving towards her. The sword in her hand started to glow white. White energy wings and a halo-like circle appeared on her back.

"Leo, what is that?" Mirajane asked, impressed by the majestic form that Erza had taken using Leo's sword.

"I'm impressed she can use it. The ultimate form of Senbonzakura. Condensing the entirety of its second release into a single blade." Leo answered.

"Disappear! Altairis!" Jellal shouted, throwing the ball of gathered magical energy at Erza.

"Jellal! This is the end!" Erza responded with a shout of her own, flying forward at high speed using her wings. The clash was over in an instant, Erza appearing behind Jellal. Jellal and his spell had been cut by Erza. The spell fading away after being cleaved in half by the blade. Jellal had been cut across his body from left shoulder to right hip.

"But how? I was supposed to achieve paradise? I was the chosen of Zeref." Jellal stuttered as the pain from the attack registered. He spat out a glob of blood from his mouth before falling to ground.

"You can rest in peace now Jellal." Erza said sadly, looking at the form of the man that was once her closest companion. Senbonzakura faded from Erza's hands and she started to fall over as the rush of magic energy left her.

"I got you." Leo said, appearing by her side in an instant and lifting her in his arms. Around them the tower started to shake.

"The energy from Etherion is destabilizing. We need to leave now." Mirajane stated. Leo nodded and the pair took to the air, Mirajane using her Satan Soul while Leo used his Daiguren Hyorinmaru. They flew close together, Leo cradling a now unconscious Erza in his arms. They landed safely on the boat where Simon and the others were waiting.

"Is Erza okay? What happened to Jellal?" Simon asked.

"Erza is fine. She just needs some rest to recover. Jellal is defeated." Leo answered, turning to watch as the tower exploded in a brilliant pillar of light that went up into the sky. He deactivated Hyorinmaru and smiled down at Erza who was snuggling closer to his chest from the increased heat his body was emitting.

"We should return to the resort and get some rest." Mirajane said as she transformed back to normal.

Simon and the others nodded and went to get the ship moving to their intended destination. Mirajane sat down on the deck next to Leo who continued to hold Erza close to him. She leaned her head on his shoulder, smiling at a peaceful looking Erza, happy that her best friend had finally gotten closure to her past. Now they could all focus on their bright and happy futures together.

* * *

**That's a wrap. Is Jellal really dead? Maybe. Next Chapter will be a filler and fluff that wraps this arc up and goes into the wedding. Till next time!**


	6. Aftermaths and Celebrations

Chapter 6

"What will the four of you be doing now?" Erza asked her old friends.

They had returned to the resort and the room that the three Fairy Tail Wizards were occupying. Erza was sitting up in the bed after Leo and Mirajane had finished tending to her wounds. Leo had gone down to handle the damages caused to the casino and get in touch with the magic council to clarify the situation. Mirajane was sitting next to the bed, making sure that Erza didn't overexert herself. Simon, Sho, Wally and Millianna were standing at the foot of the bed.

"We have no idea right now. It just feels surreal. To know that we are free now. I guess it just hasn't really set in just yet." Simon answered.

"Well you could join Fairy Tail! If you wanted to that is." Erza suggested.

"It doesn't feel right. Not after all the trouble we caused you big sis." Sho said sadly.

"Fairy Tail isn't just a guild. It's a family. And even if family does bring problems, it always sticks together. It doesn't matter what you've done before. You can start making up for it from here on." Mirajane countered.

"It would be wonderful to have all of you together with me at Fairy Tail. To get to know all of you again and be friends. And Mira is right. What happened before was a mistake. One that is in the past and doesn't need to be fretted over." Erza added.

"Joining Fairy Tail does sound fun. It would be like a great big adventure every day." Millianna said.

"The magic council is in shambles. Siegrain or rather Jellal and Ultear's betrayal have left them in a bad spot. They will need some time to get their act together. But I was able to get in touch with Old Man Yaj who thanked us for dealing with the situation." Leo said as he entered the room.

"What will happen to the magic council?" Mirajane asked.

"They will probably be reformed given time. Much as I dislike them, they are a necessary part of maintaining order in the magical world." Leo answered.

"I would like to apologize for any trouble that we have caused you. I'm sure that the resort gave you much grief over all the damages our kidnapping attempt caused." Simon said, bowing in apology to Leo. The other three copied his actions.

"All of that was in the past it. Erza has forgiven all of you and wants you to be close friends again. I would like to do the same as well. It wasn't any trouble dealing with the resort management. The magic council was harder to deal with." Leo responded, getting Simon and the others to stop bowing to him.

"While your offer to join Fairy Tail does sound good, we would like to take some time to think over things first." Simon stated, looking to his friends who nodded in agreement.

"Take your time. Know that whatever it is that all of you choose to do, I will support you and hope that we remain friends." Erza said. Simon nodded, giving Erza a smile and walking with the rest of the group into the adjoining living room of the suite in order to discuss their options in private.

"You need to rest. You fought the leader of Trinity Raven, a well-known assassin, and Jellal who was strong enough to be recognized as a wizard saint." Leo ordered.

"Don't think you're getting out of this either Leo. You drew 240 magic seals and activated two second releases. You need to rest too mister." Mirajane stated.

"I think we should all grab some rest. Let Simon and the others think about their decision before we think about what to do next." Erza suggested. Leo smiled, pulling Mirajane onto the bed with him. The three lay together, Leo in the middle with each woman settling on either side of him, quickly drifting off to sleep.

* * *

"So, you guys have decided?" Erza asked as she took in the appearances of her old friends.

"We have. While we really appreciate the offer to join your guild, we believe that we need to all find our own place in this world. And we've decided that the best way to do that is to explore the world and experience all that it has to offer." Simon answered.

"Aside from that me and Simon have got people we want to try and find. My brother was a prisoner at the tower of heaven. But I don't know where he ended up. Maybe if I travel the world, I can find him." Wally added.

Leo, Erza and Mirajane had fallen asleep for around 3 hours, allowing the exhaustion from the events at the tower to set in. After allowing their bodies and magic some time to recover, they awoke and decided to check up on Simon and the others. The three Fairy Tail mages had been surprised when they were waiting for them in the living room of the suite, ready to leave.

"Yes. I too would like to try and find my sister. She was not at the tower so I am hopeful she was able to avoid capture. She was just a little girl when I was taken to the tower." Simon said. Erza seemed deep in thought for a moment before she spoke again.

"I think I remember saving a little girl. She had hair and eyes that were the same color as yours. When the cultists came for me, I helped her hide." Erza informed him.

"I see. Thank you for protecting her. I'm certain she is out there somewhere looking for me." Simon responded.

"Best of luck to all of you. I hope you find whatever it is you are looking for. I'll make sure that any trace of and of you being involved in the Tower is removed. That way all of you are free to live your lives as you wish." Leo said, the three Fairy Tail wizards walking with them to where the boat had been moored to.

"Once again, we cannot thank you enough for all that you have done for us." Simon returned.

"It's no trouble at all. All of you are important people to Erza and that's reason enough for me to help out." Leo stated.

"Before you leave, I would like to let all of you that I will be getting married to Leo on October 22nd. I would like very much for all of you to attend." Erza said. She received a round of congratulations from her old friends for her upcoming wedding.

"It wouldn't be dandy if we didn't attend." Wally said.

"We will be sure to turn up in Magnolia around that time for the wedding." Simon promised. The four stepped onto the boat, making preparations to cast of.

"Remember, if you ever feel tired or want to plant your feet somewhere before continuing on your adventure, Fairy Tail is always open and ready to accept all of you." Mirajane reminded.

"We will remember that. Till we meet again!" Simon shouted in response as the boat started making its way into the open sea.

The three Fairy Tail wizards watched the boat disappear into the distance under the moonlight before turning and making their way back to their room. When they reached the room, Leo pulled Erza in for a hug, rubbing her hair and back with both of his hands when he noticed her melancholic expression as she stared out the window.

"I know its good for them to explore the world and see what it has to offer now that they are free. A part of me feels happy that they can do that now. But a part of me feels sad that they chose not to stay with me and join Fairy Tail." Erza admitted.

"It's okay to feel that way Erza. They are your friends after all and it makes sense to want to stay close to them after being apart for so long. But giving them space is also part of caring for them." Leo said.

"Let's get some rest. We can see what other fun things the resort has tomorrow." Mirajane suggested, leading Leo and Erza to the bed.

Leo allowed Erza to lie down first, positioning himself on his side so he could pull her into his chest. Mirajane took the space behind him, pulling her body as close as possible and snuggling into his back. Leo continued to rub Erza's back and hair, soothing her to sleep. He watched for Erza sleep for a moment. Mirajane's soft, rhythmic breathing on his neck told him she too had fallen asleep. He smiled for a moment before deciding to join both women in the realm of sleep.

* * *

"So, the date is settled. It will be a week after the Fantasia parade on the 22nd of October." Erza stated, Leo noting the information down in a notebook he had gotten specifically for wedding related matters.

After sleeping through the night and most of the morning, the three wizards had gotten out of bed, fooling around a little in the shower before finally managing to stumble out of their room for lunch. They settled down at the restaurant and after making their orders, decided to start planning out their upcoming wedding.

"That sounds like a good date. We can have the vows at Kardia Cathedral before moving to have the celebrations at the new guild hall." Mirajane suggested.

"We need to ask Master Makarov for his permission first. Although I'm sure that he won't mind. What about guests, decoration and food?" Leo asked.

"Aside from Wally, Sho, Simon and Millianna, all the people I would like to have at the wedding are members of the guild." Erza responded.

"It's the same for me. I don't really have anyone else to invite to the wedding. Except maybe a few friends I made while modelling for Sorcerer Weekly." Mirajane added.

"Okay that means we just have a few groups of people for the wedding. Our fellow guildmates, Erza's friends and Mira's friends." Leo stated, noting down the information in his book.

"Do you have any idea who you want to have to be your best man and groomsmen?" Mirajane asked.

"I'm thinking of asking Laxus to be my best man and have Natsu, Gray and Elfman as groomsmen. I might get Loke as well if Lucy agrees to it. How about you two? Anyone in mind for maid of honor and bridesmaids?" Leo responded.

"I'm probably going to get Lisanna to be my maid of honor." Mirajane replied.

"I might get Lucy or Cana to be my maid of honor. In terms of bridesmaids, I think we can get the other women in our guild involved and split them between us. Since it will be a joint wedding, there shouldn't be much issue." Erza said.

"Okay, so that's date, people and place. How about décor and food?" Leo brought up.

"Well I think we can spend some time looking through magazines and discussing things once we have everything else in order when we get back." Erza said.

"I can get us some wedding magazine through my contacts at Sorcerer Weekly." Mirajane said. Their meals arrived and the three quickly dug in, finally realizing how hungry they were after skipping breakfast. As they ate, they continued discussing their upcoming wedding. Leo was noting down his fiancées preferences and likes for him to make use of at a later date.

* * *

"I'm impressed that they finished it so quickly." Erza remarked.

"It does look very impressive. And it's bigger than the old one too." Mirajane added.

"I'm more surprised that they finished anything at all. I was expecting to come back to a destroyed foundation and drunk guild members all around the floor." Leo commented.

The three had finally returned from their short trip to Akane Resort. They were surprised when upon their return to the guild, they were greeted by a fully completed guild building. It was larger than the old guildhall and was made mostly out of stone as opposed to the wood material of the old guild. It also had a large bell at the top of the building. A large fence surrounded the outside of the guild.

"Let's hurry inside. I want to see what they put in!" Mirajane said excitedly, pulling her two companions along towards the entrance.

"We're back!" the three wizards shouted once they entered the hall.

"Welcome back. Did you three have fun at Akane?" Lucy asked.

"It was pretty good. The casino was okay but the beach and amusement park were pretty fun." Leo answered.

"Is that a ring I see on you and Erza's finger big sis?" Lisanna asked after she gasped at noticing the rings on both women's left hands.

"It is. Leo proposed to us on the first day on the beach during the sunset." Mirajane responded.

"Never thought that he would be such a romantic. But it was a pleasant surprise and we both said yes. That was actually something we wanted to talk to Master about." Erza added.

"We are planning to hold the wedding on the 22nd of October, a week after the Fantasia parade. If possible, we want to hold the wedding reception here, at the new guild hall." Leo said.

"I don't see why not. I'm sure the whole guild would be more than happy to help out and we can integrate preparations from the parade for the wedding!" Makarov stated, getting cheers from the rest of the guild.

"Well then brats we should celebrate the engagement of three of our wizards the only way we know how! Eat, drink and be merry!" Makarov ordered getting cheers from everyone else.

"What's up with you Natsu?" Leo asked, approaching the dragon slayer who was all cooped up in a corner.

"I still can't believe gramps let Gajeel and Juvia join the guild." Natsu muttered. Leo noticed the two aforementioned new additions.

"Well if Master okayed them then I'm sure they're fine. I understand that some people might not like them but still, they're people just like us. We might have clashed before but that was because they were following Jose's orders. No point crying over spilled milk Natsu." Leo advised.

"That's what I've been trying to tell him. Gajeel's been keeping mostly to himself. Juvia on the other hand…well she seems pretty attached to Gray. A little too attached if you ask me." Lisanna said. All of a sudden, the lights in the guild hall darkened before spotlights directed everyone's attention to the stage.

"What's going on? Is that Gajeel?" Lucy questioned.

Gajeel had appeared on the stage dressed in a white suit and a set of sunglasses. He had an electric guitar in his hands and a microphone was floating near his mouth. As soon as he started to sing, the previous ruckus in the guild died down. Gajeel's singing caused the entire guild to turn their attention to him, demanding that he stop singing and get off the stage. While the rest of the guild were busy try to get Gajeel off the stage, Makarov approached Leo, Erza and Mirajane.

"If the three of you wouldn't mind, I would like to speak to you in private about what happened during your trip." Makarov said. The three wizards nodded and followed the old guild master up the stairs to his office.

"I assume old man Yaj told you about what happened at the Tower? How is the council holding up?" Leo asked.

"He did. How are you feeling Erza?" Makarov responded.

"I feel lighter than I was before. Like a good weight has been removed from my shoulder. My only regret is that I couldn't get Jellal to see the error of his ways. But hopefully he will find rest and repentance now." Erza replied.

"That is good. As to the council, they are all deeply shaken by the betrayal of two of their members. In addition to that, the main branch in Era was completely destroyed. Thankfully all the council members were able to escape with their lives. Yaj said many are considering stepping down from the council to allow a new one to be formed." Makarov said.

"That's a relief. I thought they would just hide their heads in shame and allow the magical world to fall into disarray. Old man Yaj not included of course." Leo remarked.

"Despite the way those old fools act they still have a responsibility to the magical world to fulfill and I have no doubt that they will do so." Makarov stated.

"Is that all Master? I think we should go back down and rejoin the party. I think some of the girls were about to ask us about our engagement before Gajeel interrupted anything." Mirajane asked.

"Yes, and judging by the uproar downstairs, I would say that they successfully chased Gajeel off the stage." Erza remarked, hearing the sounds of the brawl going on downstairs.

"That is all. You three may go." Makarov said, waving the three of them out of his office. The three wizards rejoined the party downstairs, Erza and Mirajane getting pulled away by the other women of the guild to be asked questions about their engagement.

* * *

"Simon?" Erza asked in surprise as she noticed her two old friends at the guild.

It was currently near the end of September and the upcoming wedding was only one month away, with the Fantasia parade happening in less than a month. The wedding preparations were going very well, with the guest list having been confirmed easily and formal invitations sent out. The décor and food had been confirmed, a simple white theme being chosen by both Mirajane and Erza. The wedding cake was going to be a multi-tiered strawberry cake with a small figurine of the three soon to be newlyweds at the top.

Laxus was to be Leo's best man while Gray, Natsu and Elfman would be serving as groomsmen. Lisanna would be Mirajane's maid of honor while Cana was serving the same role for Erza. Lucy, Bisca, Levy and Laki would be bridesmaids, split evenly between the two. The men had been fitted for their suits while the women had been fitted for their dresses. Leo had also made arrangements for their honeymoon after the wedding.

The three of them had come into the guild late today after recently returning from a job to save a town from some bandits. Although the job wasn't supposed to be an exhausting one, it turned out that the simple group of bandits was actually a group of wizards from a dark guild. This had resulted in a big fight that caused a great deal of property damage due to the dark wizards hiding amongst the townsfolk. Losing some of the reward money was one thing but dealing with the paperwork after that was another matter entirely. While only a few people knew of this fact, the magic council was still in the process of reforming and so any matters that needed to be handled took far longer than they ordinarily would.

"It is nice to see you well Erza. And you as well Leo and Mirajane." Simon greeted.

"Please just call me Mira. And it's nice to see you so well." Mirajane responded.

"This is my sister Kagura. We were finally able to find her while on our journey." Simon introduced, gesturing to the young woman next to him.

She was dressed in a white blazer that had gold trim together with a white shirt and red tie. Her white skirt ended above her knees and she wore a set of black tights underneath that were tucked into a pair of boots. Her long straight hair fell to the middle of her back. She also held a sword in her left hand.

"It is a pleasure to meet you. I thank you for saving my brother and freeing him from the Tower. And also, I want to thank you for saving me all those years ago." Kagura said, bowing to Erza.

"Please do not bow. I am just glad that you are safe." Erza said, pulling Kagura in for a hug.

"I think you can let her go now Erza. She looks a little uncomfortable there." Leo said, tapping Erza's shoulder and getting her to notice the awkward looking Kagura.

"I apologize for such an action. But I'm just relieved to know that I was able to save you." Erza stated.

"It's okay." Kagura muttered.

"Where are the others?" Mirajane asked, not seeing Wally, Millianna or Sho.

"We decided to part ways but worry not for they promised to come for your wedding Erza. I felt that I had no reason to continue on my journey exploring the world anymore after finding my Sister. After some discussion, we decided that we wanted to settle down and find a place that we could call home. If your offer still stands…" Simon trailed off.

"Of course, it does! Fairy Tail is always more than happy to welcome new members." Erza said. She rushed off to pull Master Makarov over.

"Welcome to the guild you two. This place is a home an its members are a family. I hope you will be able to feel the same way as everyone else here in time." Makarov said with a smile.

"Thank you very much for accepting us." Simon said gratefully.

"Where would you like your stamps?" Mirajane asked after she returned with the stamper.

"I would like to have it on my right bicep." Simon answered.

"Black as well, on the back of my right hand." Kagura responded, removing her right glove.

"That makes it official. You two are members of Fairy Tail now!" Mirajane cheered after removing the stamp from Kagura's hand.

Makarov got the entire guild's attention, announcing the joining of two new members to the guild's family. The guild erupted into cheers as everyone started drinking and celebrating the arrival of two new family members. Simon and Kagura smiled at the welcoming atmosphere of the guild, before quickly becoming worried as it devolved into a guild brawl started by Gray and Natsu when Natsu insulted Gray for being a perverted stripping pedophile. Simon quickly led his sister away from the brawl, taking refuge at the bar where Leo, Erza and Mirajane were watching, cheering them on.

"Is this normal?" Simon asked.

"Should we not try and stop them?" Kagura questioned, wincing when Elfman was knocked out by a single punch from both Natsu and Gray.

"You should get used to it. This is a classic Fairy Tail brawl." Leo responded with a chuckle, taking a chug of beer from the mug in his hand.

"I see. Well if this is normal then should we join in?" Simon asked.

"If you want to. If not then you can just watch it unfold from a safe zone. Usually the bar." Erza responded.

"They are certainly lively." Kagura remarked, wincing when a beer mug hit Lucy straight in the face when she was trying to get away from the brawl.

"It's fun. This is what makes it Fairy Tail." Mirajane remarked.

"If you ever need help adjusting to the guild feel free to look for any of us." Leo offered.

"A brief explanation would be nice." Simon said.

"The guild is a place where you can relax. This new place has a lot of new facilities like a games area and a swimming pool at the back. It's also a nice place to get to know the other members. The request board is where you can take jobs. There are all kinds of jobs there and you can choose what kind of jobs you want to take. You can take jobs either solo or as a team." Mirajane explained, pointing out different areas in the guild hall.

"Since you two are still new here, why don't you guys stay with us for the night? Tomorrow we can go on a job together. We don't really need to reward money so we can just split it between the two of you." Erza suggested.

"We don't want to impose." Kagura said.

"Nonsense. We have lots of room at our place. It would be remiss of us if we didn't offer to help out our fellow guild members. Besides, I'm sure Erza would like to know more about what you and the others have experienced since we parted ways and also get to know the little girl she saved better." Leo countered.

"Then we would be happy to accept your offer." Simon said with a smile, already feeling at home and welcome at Fairy Tail. He looked at his little sister, and found her looking less awkward and uncomfortable than she had ever been before.

* * *

Today was the big day. The wedding of Leo to Erza and Mirajane was finally here. The Fantasia parade had gone very well, with the citizens of Magnolia and tourists to the city enjoying the performance that had been put on by the guild. There had been a total of six floats this year. The leading float was Laxus and his thunder legion. Following that was Gray and Juvia. The third float in the lineup was done by Levy, Bisca and Lucy. The fourth float had Leo, Erza and Mirajane on it. The fifth float had Lisanna and Elfman with Natsu trailing behind them so he could actually contribute without dealing with his motion sickness. The last float had been Master Makarov, to end off the lineup, ending off the parade with fireworks in the shape of Fairy Tail's symbol.

As the guests for the Fantasia parade and harvest festival started to leave the city, the few guests outside of the guild started to arrive. One of the first to arrive was Yajima, who revealed that he had stepped down from his position on the council and was about to open his own restaurant in Hargeon. Following that had been some of the friends Mirajane had made while posing for Sorcerer Weekly. The last ones to arrive were Sho, Wally and Millianna, who were delighted to be able to catch-up with Erza and Simon before the wedding day.

Simon and Kagura had settled in well into life as members of Fairy Tail. After that first job with Leo, Erza and Mirajane, they had gotten a good understanding of how jobs worked. They started taking on jobs on their own and moved into their own apartment together. Simon had opened up much more towards the others, spending much of his time with Elfman, Natsu and Gray while at the guild. He had also started getting involved in the shenanigans of the guild, often goading Natsu and Gray into starting something and enjoying the aftermath. Kagura on the other hand seemed to gravitate a great deal towards Erza, treating the redhead as almost like an older sister. She started following in Erza's footsteps in trying to keep the guild from becoming too rowdy. As such, she often ended up berating her older brother for having his fun.

"You know if you keep pulling at that collar of yours, you're going to end up like Gray on a regular day." Laxus remarked with a smirk, watching Leo nervously tug at the collar of his suit.

"I can't help it. What if something goes wrong? What if I mess up? What if they decide that they don't want to marry me anymore?" Leo said, bouncing anxiously on the balls of his feet.

"If I have to glue or tie your clothes, like I did to Gray's suit, or even your person I will. Now just breathe and relax. You three love each other a great deal. I bet you the moment you look into both of their eyes, everything else will turn into a blur and before you know it, the three of you will be married. Not like you three weren't joined at the hip already." Laxus advised.

"Since when were you a relationship expert?" Leo asked with a tilted brow, somewhat amused by the fact that Laxus had actually taken measures to prevent Gray from stripping.

"Comes with the job of being your best man. Now get ready, they're about to walk in." Laxus said, getting Leo to straighten out and face the door as the wedding march played.

Laxus had been right. As soon as Leo saw both Erza and Mirajane walking down the aisle, escorted by Master Makarov, all his fears and his words too had died in his throat. To him they were the vision of absolute perfection. While both their faces were somewhat obscured by their veils, Leo could still make out their most prominent features. Their light makeup accentuated their natural beauty, drawing out their eyes which were wet with unshed tears of happiness. Their long flowing hair glowing under the natural light that filtered in through the windows of the cathedral. Their white wedding dresses accentuated their curves tastefully, tight around their upper bodies, the dress flowed into a wide billowing skirt at their hips.

They reached the altar, each one taking position at either side of Leo. Leo's right hand held both of Erza's while his left did the same for Mirajane. The priest began the ceremony and everything became a blur as the brides and groom exchanged their vows. The rings were handed to them and Leo took the time to carefully slip the wedding band onto his brides' ring finger. Erza and Mirajane then slipped the wedding band onto Leo's ring fingers the two contrasting wedding bands of gold and silver matching each of their own. As the ceremony came to an end and the time came to kiss his brides, Leo took his time with each one. He poured his emotions through the kiss, a promise of the love and devotion he would give to both women that had given their hearts to him and him to them in turn.

The newlyweds led the procession back towards the guild for the wedding reception. Drinks were served and all the invited guests were merrily enjoying their time. Guests continuously approached the newlyweds, offering congratulations and well wishes for the future. There were even a few comments that now that they had made it "official" that they would start having kids soon, a point that made all three newlyweds blush and start stuttering in response.

However, in traditional Fairy Tail fashion, it didn't take long before it descended into absolute pandemonium. It first started after the cutting of the wedding cake. Seeing as all of the formal aspects of the wedding were over, Mirajane decided to cut loose, using a small burst of magic to cause Gajeel to trip and bump into Natsu. The pink haired pyromaniac was not pleased and it did not take long for the two dragon slayers to butt heads, quickly escalating into a fight. This had of course incited the rest of the Fairy Tail mages into fighting as well, Elfman the first to join claiming that it was unmanly to fight on his sister's wedding day. While Elfman initially attempted to stop the fighting, he ended up getting caught in it. A stray strike from Natsu had caused Gray to rip off his suit and join the fray. And it just kept growing from there.

"Honestly those people. They should know better than to fight on such an important day like today. I will stop them for you." Kagura said, preparing to step in and intervene.

"There is no need to Kagura. Let them have their fun. It is a joyous occasion after all. This is their own way of celebrating." Erza said, stopping Kagura from spoiling the fun.

"If you say so." Kagura responded, moving away form the newlyweds to get herself a drink and ensure that she didn't somehow get pulled into the brawl.

"Don't think I didn't see what you did there Mira. Such a mischievous demon." Leo whispered into Mirajane's ear.

"Everyone was being too stiff. Besides, its much more fun this way don't you think? And with all this chaos, I'm sure no one will mind if we slip away now." Mirajane responded with a sly smile.

"Let's go Erza, while everyone's busy with the brawl. I'd like to have my own personal time to show my new wives just how much they mean to me. Not to mention you both look absolutely divine in your wedding dresses." Leo said to the two of them before wrapping and arm around their waists and leading them out the door, giving Makarov and Laxus a wave before leaving.

* * *

"If only every day could be like this." Leo remarked quietly, smiling down at both Mirajane and Erza.

Leo was seated underneath a large tree on a picnic mat. It was the last day of their Honeymoon and they had decided to take sometime to enjoy the greenery of the resort's park by having a picnic. They had a great deal of fun preparing for the picnic, all three working together to prepare the large spread that they had enjoyed just moments before. After enjoying the large meal, they opted to laze around in the park, Leo taking a seat underneath a large tree with his legs sprawled in front of him. Erza and Mira had then lied down next to him, using his thighs to rest their heads on.

"It has been nice. To not think about missions for a whole week and just taking the time to have fun without any worries." Mirajane said, enjoying the sensation of Leo's hand running through her hair.

"It is unfortunate that we were only able to get away for a week. But I suppose we do have responsibilities to uphold." Erza stated.

"We can sneak some alone time during missions here and there. Master probably wouldn't mind. But I'm sorry that we couldn't take a longer time for our honeymoon." Leo apologized.

"Don't be sorry. The S-Class examinations are coming up and we need to ensure that we have all our affairs in order before then so that we can focus fully on them." Erza responded.

"Although I'm not looking forward to all the things we have to do when we get back. Just thinking about it makes my head spin. I mean did any of you see the stack of gifts? Not to mention all the thank you responses that we need to send out." Mirajane said.

"Poor Mira. Don't worry. We'll both be sharing in your pain." Leo said with a chuckle, bending down to awkwardly attempt kiss each of his wives without moving them.

"As amusing as it is to watch you try and be a contortionist, I would prefer to have my husband intact and one piece when we return to the guild and not have to worry about you having a bad back." Mirajane joked, getting up from her spot to meet Leo halfway before sitting up and snuggling herself into his side.

"Hey Leo, do you remember what some of the wedding guests said, about having children?" Erza asked, looking away shyly after she had kissed Leo.

"Ah, I didn't think you would breach the subject. Well, honestly, I would love to have children with both of you. And I mean now that we're married, it just makes sense that having kids would be the next logical step." Leo responded.

"I sense a but coming along there." Mirajane stated.

"I don't think now is the right time for kids just yet. I mean yeah, we've been living together for around 8 months now but I think kids are something for the future not for right now. Like you said earlier, we need to get all our affairs in order, then there's the coming S-Class examination to worry about. I think that we should maybe wait a few years before we start having kids. But if any of you girls feel like a kid is something you want now, then I'd be happy to help you." Leo said.

"Such a wonderful husband you are. Always thinking about us. Yes, I do want kids someday. But you are right. Now wouldn't be a good time to consider starting a family just yet." Erza remarked, patting Leo's cheek and giving him a warm smile.

"I mean, if and when either of you want to start a family, I'm willing to take that step. I won't ever deny or push you to it. After all, I'm not the one who has to deal with carrying a child in their bodies for nine months and all the other things that come with it." Leo said with a shrug.

"We should go back and start getting ready to leave if we want to catch the evening train back to Magnolia." Mirajane suggested. Leo and Erza agreed with the suggestion, the three wizards getting up and packing up their things before heading back to their suite. When they arrived, they were pleasantly surprised to find a letter from Makarov.

"A letter from Master? I hope that it is nothing urgent." Erza said as she opened the letter. Makarov's hologram appeared and started reading the message.

"Greetings you three. I hope the three of you are doing well and having a great deal of fun. Everything is going well back at the guild. This letter is nothing to be worried about. Recently a messenger from the newly reformed magic council came to the guild looking for you Leo. I told them that you were away for your honeymoon and a return message from the council asked for you to see them at Era at the earliest possible date. There is no reason to cut your honeymoon short but I would like for you to head there first on your planned return date rather than coming straight back to the guild." Makarov's image stated before it faded away.

"Guess we aren't heading back to Magnolia tonight then. I'll go inform the reception that we're going to need to stay the night. We can head over to Era directly from here tomorrow." Leo said before leaving the room.

"Well then we'd better start packing so we can head off in the morning tomorrow." Mirajane said, dragging Erza towards the basket of dirty clothes and starting to pack them up.

"I never knew Leo could be so assertive. Nor that he would be such a beast in bed." Erza remarked as she folded up the maid costume that had been used for one of their roleplays that left both women absolutely exhausted.

"Well he does leave us pretty satisfied on a regular basis. I think getting him all hot and bothered with costumes just makes it more fun for us don't you think?" Mirajane responded, folding up the skimpy nurse uniform.

"We should take note of all his favorite ones so we can use them again in the future." Erza suggested, carefully packing away the cat ears and tail.

"That's a little hard to do considering he liked every single costume we tried." Mirajane countered, putting away the bunny outfit.

"True. When it comes to us, I don't think he actually cares what we are wearing. Just so long as we are willing to have some fun, he's always willing to oblige." Erza stated.

"And we wouldn't have him any other way." Mirajane added as they continued putting away their dirty clothes.

* * *

"Welcome to the Era Headquarters of the Magic Council. How can I help you today?" a council worker asked when Leo, Mirajane and Erza approached the desk.

"I'm Leo Titus. Master Makarov told me that the council wanted to see me at the earliest possible convenience." Leo answered.

"Ah yes, we do have information about that summons. Let me check if the council will convene to see you now." The worker responded, getting up from his desk and disappearing into a room behind him. He returned about five minutes later.

"The council will see you soon. Please walk down the corridor towards the large doors and wait for them to call you in." The worker informed. Leo nodded and the three wizards walked towards the doors they had been directed to.

"Leo Titus?" A council worker who opened the doors asked.

"That would be me." Leo answered.

"The council will see you now." The worker said, motioning for Leo to enter.

"We will wait for you out here." Mirajane said when both she and Erza were barred from following him into the room by the worker.

"Leo Titus, you finally decided to answer your summons by the council." A tall elderly man with long greying hair and a long beard stated. He was moderately clad in light armor with an ornate cape draped over the top of it. He was seated at the head of the long table together with the rest of the council members.

"I apologize for the delay. I was on a leave of absence and have come at the earliest time possible. It is wonderful to see that the council has recovered so well from the Tower of Heaven incident. Although the only familiar face to me now is Councilman Org." Leo responded.

"I am the new chairman of the Magic Council, Gran Doma." Gran Doma, the man that was sitting at the head of the table introduced.

"You are asked to appear before us to be bestow with a special honor. One that is rarely ever offered twice. Few would consider refusing such a title and yet you are a unique individual who did." Org stated.

"However, in consideration of all recent events, we of the council feel that it is appropriate to bestow upon you an offer to become one of the Ten Wizard Saints. You were able to defeat former Wizard Saint Jose Porla and the imposter Siegrain who we now know is actually named Jellal. In light of that we have decided to offer the title to you again. Do you accept?" Gran Doma asked.

"I am deeply honored and grateful that the council would consider bestowing such an honor upon me. I did refuse before stating that I was not worthy of that position. However, if the council believes that I am worthy a second time then I will not refuse. I will gladly accept the honor of the title and do my very best to live up to all its expectations." Leo responded.

"Very well then, we welcome you to the ranks of the Ten Wizard Saints." Gran Doma stated as a worker handed Leo his medallion.

"Thank you, esteemed members of the Magic Council." Leo said, bowing to them before turning to leave seeing as his business was concluded. He stepped out of the doors and saw Erza and Mirajane waiting for him. He smiled at them and the three headed towards the exit.

"What did they want with you?" Erza asked.

"It was as previously suspected, now that they've had time to properly reform and get everything in order, they wanted to clear any outstanding matters. One of which was filling in the seats for the Ten Wizard Saints." Leo answered.

"And this time you accepted it?" Mirajane asked.

"I did. It'll make me look better in the eyes of the new magic council. With old man Yaj gone, we're not going to have anyone to help protect us from the council. I'd like to try and gain some favor with them just in case we ever need it." Leo responded.

"Speaking of the former councilman, he opened a restaurant, right? Why don't we go pay him a short visit?" Erza suggested.

"We could drop by Hargeon. By the time we reach there will be around evening and then we can reach Magnolia before nightfall." Mirajane added.

"Sure. I haven't had a chance to really talk to him for some time. He did say a few words to us at the wedding but that was just a few well wishes." Leo said, agreeing with the decision.

* * *

"Lucy, Natsu, Gray. It's a surprise to see you three here. What are you doing here?" Erza asked when she noticed the three of them together with Yajima at the alleyway next to his restaurant.

"Leo, Erza, Mira! How was the honeymoon? I thought you three were supposed to be back at the guild already?" Lucy responded.

"We were but then master said Leo had to see the magic council as soon as possible so we took a detour. We came by to say hello to Mr. Yajima actually." Mirajane replied.

"We were here helping out Lucy on the job as staff for Yajima's restaurant." Gray said.

"So full. How does Lisanna do this on a regular basis?" Natsu complained.

"She doesn't eat all the food!" Lucy retorted in annoyance.

"I hope the three of them were helpful Old man Yaj. It's good to see you doing so well. How's things been since you stepped down from the council?" Leo asked the old man who was sitting down on a wooden crate.

"The three of them are good workers. Things have been good for me. Honestly, I was never really cut out for politics. Cooking suits me far more. But I should apologize. We caused you a great deal of trouble during the incident at the Tower." Yajima answered.

"You shouldn't feel responsible. We know you opposed the decision the whole way." Erza said, trying to prevent Yajima from feeling guilty for the actions.

"Yes, but after Ultear's and Jellal's manipulation of the magic council, a good deal of us felt that it was too big of a blunder. Most of us stepped down, making way for a new magic council, one that will hopefully not make the same mistakes I did. And is that the crest of the Ten Wizard Saints on you Leo?" Yajima said, noticing the addition of the Ten Wizard Saints emblem on the back of Leo's coat.

The diamond on the back of Leo's coat that had the Fairy Tail symbol now also had the emblem of the Ten Wizard Saints inside it. Leo had taken the time to stitch it into his coat during the train ride back with the intention of using the coat for any formal meetings or events. He had come to this idea after recalling that Makarov had a coat with the same emblem that he wore whenever the situation called for it.

"Yeah. The council offered it to me. It was the reason they summoned me actually. I decided to accept after what you and Master Makarov told me." Leo responded.

"That is good to hear. It will be nice to have some young blood in that group. But Natsu and Gray, this should serve as a warning. There is no one who will willingly speak up for Fairy Tail on the magic council now. Even with two Wizard Saints in the guild, there is a limit to how much they can protect Fairy Tail from trouble. I would advise you to be more careful from now on." Yajima advised.

"Well it was a pleasure catching up with you Mr. Yajima. We should be heading home now. We want to make it back before nightfall." Erza said.

"It was nice seeing you three after the wedding as well. Feel free to come by anytime." Yajima responded.

"We definitely will! Good luck with the restaurant!" Mirajane said as the six Fairy Tail wizards started making their way towards the train station to head back to Magnolia.

"Give my regards to Makky!" Yajima shouted as they were leaving, smiling as he watched them head off.

* * *

**And that's the end of this filler chapter before we go into the Oracion Seis Arc. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. To anyone interested, I am looking for a beta reader who would be interested in helping me out with this story. I have quite a few ideas that I would like to incorporate into cannon and having someone to bounce them off with would be a great help in making this story better than what it is now! PM Me if you would like to lend me a hand with this!**


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